WALES

Departmental Written Questions

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proportion of written questions tabled to her for answer on a named day between 27 May 2010 and 9 March 2011 did not receive a substantive answer on the day named for answer.

David Jones: None. All named day questions tabled within that period received a substantive answer on the day named for answer.

Prisons

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when she last met the Secretary of State for Justice to discuss proposals for a prison in North Wales.

David Jones: The Secretary of State for Wales last met with the Minister for Prisons and Probation, the hon. Member for Reigate (Mr Blunt), in November and discussed the provision of prison places in North Wales.
	The consultation on the Ministry of Justice's Green Paper ‘Breaking the cycle: effective punishment, rehabilitation and sentencing of offenders’ ended on 4 March. Responses are currently being considered and long-term plans for prison capacity are being evaluated.
	The Secretary of State and I will continue to work closely with the Minister for Prisons, as decisions on the prison estate are made, to ensure that the implications for North Wales are fully taken into account.

St David’s Day

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales pursuant to the answer of 7 March 2011, Official Report, column 744W, on St David’s day, 
	(1)  what criteria she used to determine which hon. Members representing Welsh constituencies to include on her invitation list to attend her St David’s day event at Gwydyr house on 1 March 2011;
	(2)  who attended her St David’s day reception on 1 March 2011.

Cheryl Gillan: Right hon. and hon. Members representing the coalition parties, official opposition spokespeople, media and various representatives of Welsh society were invited. A total of approximately 50 attendees.

INDEPENDENT PARLIAMENTARY STANDARDS AUTHORITY COMMITTEE

Data Protection

Bob Russell: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, what discussions the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) had in respect of (a) security and (b) data protection before permission was granted for the BBC to film the personal details of hon. Members at IPSA offices for broadcast on 3 February 2011.

Charles Walker: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.
	Letter from Scott Woolveridge, d a ted March 2011
	As Acting Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what discussions the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) had in respect of (a) security and (b) data protection before permission was granted for the BBC to film the personal details of hon. Members at IPSA offices for broadcast on 3 February 2011.
	IPSA took careful steps in the planning of the filming to ensure no personal data of MPs was disclosed. The BBC were asked to provide, and gave, strict assurances that no personal data of MPs would be shown in any of their camera shots.
	Appropriate steps were taken in the planning of and execution of the filming to ensure no such details were shown and the BBC gave an undertaking that it would not show any such data were any to be filmed inadvertently.

Departmental Publications

John Spellar: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker’s Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, whether the board of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority authorised the comments made by Mr Ken Olisa in his interview with Total Politics magazine published on 5 January 2011.

Charles Walker: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.
	L etter from Scott Woolveridge, da ted March 2011:
	As Acting Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking whether the board of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority authorised the comments made by Mr Ken Olisa in his interview with Total Politics magazine published on 5 January 2011.
	The Board does not seek to authorise comments made by members in the course of dealings with the media.

Departmental Recruitment

Bob Russell: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker’s Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, for what purposes the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority engaged the recruitment agency Saxton Bampfylde; and how much was paid to that agency in fees.

Charles Walker: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.
	Letter from Scott Woolveridge, dated March 2011
	As Acting Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking for what purposes Saxton Bampfylde recruitment agency was engaged and the amount that was paid to that agency.
	IPSA has not engaged the services of Saxton Bampfylde and no money has been paid to this agency.

Employment

John Spellar: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker’s Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, how many people have terminated their employment at the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority since its inception.

Charles Walker: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.
	Letter from Scott Woolveridge, dated March 2011
	As Acting Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people have terminated their employment at IPSA since its inception.
	Three members of staff have resigned since IPSA’s inception.

Manpower

Bob Russell: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, how many hours each member of the Board of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) has spent on their duties at (a) the offices of IPSA and (b) elsewhere in each month since their appointment.

Charles Walker: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.
	Letter from Scott Woolveridge, dated March 2011
	As Acting Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many hours each member of the Board of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) have spent on their duties at (a) the offices of IPSA and (b) elsewhere in each month since their appointment. (40436)
	The table below details the number of days and hours between December 2009 and January 2011 for which the Chairman and Board members have received remuneration. IPSA does not collect information that distinguishes between the number of hours the Board have spent on their duties at the offices of IPSA or elsewhere. The hours charged under-represent the actual number of hours Board members have committed to IPSA.
	
		
			 Days/hours claimed per month 
			 Month Prof. Sir Ian Kennedy Prof. Isobel Sharp Ken Olisa Rt Hon Sir Scott Baker Jacqueline Ballard 
			 2009       
			 December — 1 day 2 days 2 days 1.5 days 
			       
			 2010       
			 January 9.5 days 1 day 2 days 2 days 2 days 
			 February 10.5 days 5.5 days 6 days 6.5 days 5 days 
			 March 11 days 2 days 1.5 days 2.5 days 2.5 days 
			 April 2 days 1 day 1 day 1.5 days 1 day 
			 May 2 days 2.5 days 1.5 days 0 1.5 days 
			 June 4.75 days 1 day 0 4 days 3.5 days 
			 July 8 days 2 days 1.25 days 2.5 days 1.5 days 
			 August 12.25 days 0 4.75 days 1.5 day 0 
			 September 7 days 5.5 hours 0 0 2 days 4.5 hours 2 days 4 hours 
			 October 9 days 2 days 6 days 9.25 hours 0 1.5 days 1 hour 
			 November 5 days 4 hours 3 days 0 5 days 6.5 hours 1 day 2.5 hours 
			 December 11 days 2.5 hours 1 day 0 2 days 3 hours 2 days 2.25 hours 
			       
			 2011       
			 January 6 days 4.5 hours 0 4 days 9.5 hours 1 day 0

Pay

Bob Russell: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, how much has been paid in salary to members of the Board of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority in each month since their appointment.

Charles Walker: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.
	Letter from Scott Woolveridge, dated March 2011
	As Acting Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how much has been paid in salary to members of the board of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority in each month since their appointment.
	The Chairman and the Board of IPSA are not salaried; instead, they are paid a per diem rate for their time, at the rate advertised at the time of their recruitment. The payments made from April 2010 to January 2011 are set out in the table below. Amounts paid prior to 1 April 2010 were published in IPSA's annual report for 2010-11, which is available on the IPSA website at:
	www.parliamentarystandards.org.uk
	
		
			 Amount paid per month   (1) 
			 £ 
			  Prof. Sir Ian Kennedy Prof. Isobel Sharp Ken Olisa Right hon. Sir Scott Baker Jacqueline Ballard 
			 April 1,400.00 400.00 400.00 600.00 400.00 
			 May 1,400.00 1,000.00 600.00 0.00 600.00 
			 June 3,325.00 400.00 0.00 1,600.00 1,400.00 
			 July 5,600.00 800.00 500.00 1,000.00 600.00 
			 August 8,575.00 0.00 1,900.00 600.00 0.00 
			 September 5,413,33 0.00 0.00 800.00 1,520.00 
			 October 6,300.00 800.00 2,893.30 0.00 146.65 
			 November 3,873.32 1,200.00 0.00 2,346.65 533.33 
			 December 7,933.33 400.00 0.00 800.00 919.99 
			 January 4,619.99 0.00 2,106.64 0.00 0.00 
			 (1) Please note that the timings for payments as set out in this table correlate to the time at which board members have submitted invoices and time sheets to IPSA. A single submission may cover multiple periods.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Beef: Imports

Sandra Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the prevalence of foot and mouth disease in countries from which beef may be imported to the UK.

James Paice: Before a non-European Union (EU) country is approved to export to the EU, the exporting country must have acceptable disease status, the recognised standard for relevant control authorities and guarantees from the country of origin with regard to compliance with EU import rules and results of EU missions to these countries. A list of those countries approved for export of beef can be found in Commission Regulation (EU) No. 206/2010. For countries which are regionalised for beef exports (certain countries in Southern Africa and South America) all exported meat is required to be deboned and matured in approved premises as a risk mitigation measure.
	All meat imported from non-EU countries must be accompanied by veterinary certification. This must confirm that the meat is derived from animals that have been subjected to a veterinary inspection during the 24 hours prior to slaughter and showed no signs of disease. Imports of products of animal origin (POAO) are checked at approved facilities at Border Inspection Posts (BIPS). All consignments of imported meat have a documentary check on the veterinary certification, and an identity check, to match the goods to the certification. A minimum of 20% of consignments of meat imported from non-EU countries undergoes a physical check by an official veterinary surgeon, and this rises to 50% for poultry and game.
	DEFRA monitors outbreaks of high impact diseases around the world. Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is among those diseases of major concern. When DEFRA becomes aware of a new disease outbreak in an export region or country, it carries out an initial rapid risk assessment of the risk of introduction of that disease into the UK in live animals or POAO and may produce a preliminary outbreak assessment. If this preliminary assessment concludes that a full qualitative risk assessment is not justified, then we will publish the preliminary outbreak assessment here:
	www.defra.gov.uk/foodfarm/farmanimal/diseases/monitoring/index.htm

Fisheries

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what account her Department’s food procurement policy takes of compliance with the UN sustainability standard that all wild-caught fish should meet the terms of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation’s Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries.

James Paice: The Government’s policy is to promote the consumption of fish from sustainable sources. We want to be the greenest Government ever and to help meet this commitment we are developing Government Buying Standards (GBS) for the public procurement of food and catering services. These standards will be mandatory for central Government Departments and promoted to the wider public sector.
	An external review asking for evidence and comments regarding our proposed GBS ended on 24 January and we are now considering all the comments received, including those about sustainably sourced seafood, before making a decision on what the final GBS for food and catering services should be. I cannot predict the outcome of this process, as it requires cross-Government agreement.

Forests

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the composition of her proposed panel to consider the future of forestry in England will be; and what consideration she has given to appointing to this panel members of environmental and charitable organisations with expertise in the issue.

James Paice: The panel’s membership is still being considered. It will include representatives of key environmental and access organisations, alongside representatives of the forestry industry. It will need to draw on a broad range of expertise to inform its work.

Forests: Devon

Mel Stride: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  which forests and woodlands in central Devon constituency are owned by the Forestry Commission;
	(2)  which forests and woodlands owned by the Forestry Commission in central Devon constituency she plans to include in the first tranche of sales;
	(3)  which areas of forest and woodland owned by the Forestry Commission and in central Devon constituency fall within the (a) heritage, (b) small scale and (c) large commercial category.

James Paice: The consultation on the future of the public forest estate has been halted and all forestry clauses in the Public Bodies Bill will be removed. All new sales have been suspended as announced by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the right hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman), on 11 February 2011, Official Report, column 21WS. An independent panel of experts will now examine forestry policy in England and report back to Ministers in the autumn.
	The following table lists woods and forests managed by the Forestry Commission in central Devon.
	
		
			 Wood Ownership type   (1) Area (ha) 
			 Berrydown, Abbeyford Freehold 208 
			 Canonteign Freehold 170 
			 Eggesford Freehold 311 
			 Great Plantation Freehold 132 
			 Great Plantation pt road side Freehold 5 
			 Haldon1 Freehold 60 
			 Haldon2 Mixed freehold and leasehold 724 
			 Haldon3 Freehold 229 
			 Haldon5 Leasehold 67 
			 Oldridge Freehold 170 
			 Powderham, Cleave Leasehold 63 
			 Sousons Leasehold 215 
			 Stoke Woods Freehold 35 
			 Wadland, Ashbury, Homing Down Freehold 180 
			 Wadland, Ashbury, Homing Down Freehold 8 
			 (1) The public forest estate is owned by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and placed at the disposal of the Forestry Commissioners under section (3)1 of the Forestry Act 1967.

Forests: Kettering

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 7 March 2011, Official Report, column 768W, on Forestry Commission: lands, what the (a) name and (b) location is of the leasehold public forest estate in Kettering constituency.

James Paice: There is one area of woodland in Kettering constituency that is part of the Forestry Commission public forest estate. This is Brampton Wood, grid reference SP 798857.

Sky Lanterns: Regulation

James Wharton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department is considering taking steps to regulate the use of Chinese lanterns.

James Paice: We recognise the concerns of livestock and horse keepers about the risks Chinese (or sky) lanterns can present to their animals’ welfare. We are working with other Government Departments to see what action could be taken to reduce these risks and have had several meetings with the farming unions and the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) to discuss what could be done. We are working with them to build an evidence base of the problems caused and to help raise awareness among consumers and venues. BIS is also working with local authority trading standards to encourage importers, distributors and retailers to improve the safety of these products and to make them fully biodegradable.

Telehandlers

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will review the health and safety guidance provided by her Department on the safe use of telehandlers.

Chris Grayling: I have been asked to reply.
	The question has been passed to me for reply as the Minister responsible for health and safety at work.
	The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has not issued specific guidance on the safe use of telescopic materials handlers (telehandlers) in agriculture. It has published general guidance on the selection, use and maintenance of work equipment in the industry, which advises on compliance with relevant legislation. HSE has also published an Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) and guidance on training for operators of lift trucks, which applies to telehandlers.
	Industry specific guidance on the safe use of telehandlers in construction was launched by the Strategic Forum for Construction in February 2011. The guidance provides clarity on the safe use of telehandlers; including planning, role of personnel, training and familiarization of personnel, safe use, maintenance, inspection and thorough examination. These basic principles are applicable to the use of telehandlers in any work environment or industry.
	HSE will be reviewing external guidance during 2011. Any revisions to guidance will be posted on HSE’s website at:
	www.hse.gov.uk/agriculture

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Departmental Regulation

Gordon Banks: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what regulations the Government Equalities Office has (a) introduced and (b) revoked between 2 February and 28 February 2011.

Lynne Featherstone: Between 2 February and 28 February 2011, the Government Equalities Office did not introduce or repeal any regulations.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Broadband: Berkshire

Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what proportion of the funding allocated to broadband programmes in the comprehensive spending review period he expects to be spent on programmes based in Reading West constituency.

Edward Vaizey: No specific allocations for projects in Reading West or any other constituency have been made. My officials continue to work closely with county councils on plans to support broadband roll out.

Digital Technology: Industry

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent assessment he has made of (a) lending to and (b) financing of digital technology industries; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: My Department together with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has recently commissioned research into financing and lending for the Creative Industries in order to provide evidence for the Digital and Creative Industries Growth Review which reports to a Budget 2011 timetable.

Sports: Scotland

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 28 February 2011, Official Report, column 26W, on sports: health, what matters were discussed in relation to the issue of whether Team GB should be changed to Team UK; and what decisions were reached.

Hugh Robertson: The Sports Cabinet discussed a paper tabled by Northern Ireland Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure, Nelson McCausland, regarding the name and branding of Team GB. The meeting agreed that the Welsh Minister for Heritage, in his capacity as Chair of the meeting, would write on behalf of the Sports Cabinet to ask the British Olympic Association to consider changing the name and branding of Team GB to better reflect the whole of the UK.

Technology: Greater London

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what organisations he has met to discuss the East London Tech City development; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the minutes of each such meeting.

Edward Vaizey: holding answer 7 March 2011
	The Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), met with the following organisations during his visit to San Francisco in October 2010 where the East London Tech City development was discussed:
	Yelp
	Twitter
	Hewlett Packard
	Apple
	Sequoia Capital
	Facebook
	Google
	Silicon Valley Bank
	Cisco
	Intel
	Warner Brothers
	The minutes of these meetings cannot be made public as they contain commercially sensitive material.

SCOTLAND

Citizens’ Advice Bureaux

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with representatives of (a) Citizens Advice Scotland, (b) Consumer Focus Scotland and (c) the Scottish Executive on the future of consumer protection and advocacy arrangements in Scotland.

Michael Moore: I met with the chief executive of Citizens Advice Scotland on 28 February 2011. I intend to meet Consumer Focus Scotland to discuss the future of consumer protection and advocacy arrangements in Scotland after the launch of the forthcoming consultation by the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills. Discussions have taken place at official level with the Scottish Government on implications of changes to current arrangements in Scotland.

Departmental Land

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will take steps to reduce the size of his Department's estate; and if he will make a statement.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office estate comprises two leased buildings: one in London and one in Edinburgh. The Scotland Office takes every opportunity to maximise the use of the estate and to reduce running costs.

Departmental Procurement

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many procurement projects with a monetary value greater than (a) £10 million, (b) £50 million and (c) £100 million his Department was engaged in in the latest period for which figures are available.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office had no procurement projects with a monetary value greater than £10 million in 2009-10 and has none in the current financial year 2010-11.

Departmental Procurement

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which procurement projects engaged in by his Department had a designated senior responsible owner in the latest period for which figures are available; and on what date they were appointed in each such case.

David Mundell: Other than minor purchases, the Scotland Office does not undertake direct procurement or tendering projects. It utilises existing service contracts between suppliers and the Scottish Government or the Ministry of Justice.

Departmental Visits Abroad

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland pursuant to the answer of 4 March 2011, Official Report, columns 610-11W, on visits, what criteria he proposes to use to determine the (a) justification of costs and (b) value to taxpayers of overseas visits.

David Mundell: Any proposed expenditure for ministerial and official travel will continue to be examined rigorously to ensure value for money and effectiveness, in accordance with the Ministerial Code and HM Treasury guidance on the use of public funds.

Departmental Written Questions

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what proportion of written questions tabled to him for answer on a named day between 27 May 2010 and 9 March 2011 did not receive a substantive answer on the day named for answer.

David Mundell: 123 written questions were tabled to the Secretary of State for answer on a named day between 27 May 2010 and 9 March 2011. Of these, seven received a substantive answer after the named day.

Energy: Prices

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions his Department has had with Scottish representatives of the six largest energy companies on levels of domestic energy bills.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office has regular discussions with Scottish representatives of the energy sector on a range of issues including domestic energy bills. In December, the Secretary of State spoke to senior executives of E.ON, EDF, RWE npower, Scottish Gas, Scottish Power and SSE in response to concerns about increases in domestic energy bills over the winter period. The Scotland Office has also been working closely with the Department for Energy and Climate Change on the introduction of the Warm Home Discount scheme, which forms part of the Government’s proposals for helping vulnerable customers.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Departmental Procurement

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many procurement projects with a monetary value greater than (a) £10 million, (b) £50 million and (c) £100 million (i) his Department and (ii) the non-departmental public body for which he is responsible was engaged upon in the latest period for which figures are available.

Hugo Swire: My Department and the non-departmental public body for which I am responsible did not have any procurement projects with a monetary value greater than (a) £10 million, (b) £50 million and (c) £100 million in 2009-10.

Departmental Procurement

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which procurement projects engaged upon by (a) his Department and (b) the non-departmental public body for which he is responsible had a designated senior responsible owner in the latest period for which figures are available; and on what date each officer was appointed in each such case.

Hugo Swire: My Department and the non-departmental public body for which I am responsible have not had any procurement projects which deemed a designated senior responsible owner be appointed.

Departmental Written Questions

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of written questions tabled to him for answer on a named day between 27 May 2010 and 9 March 2011 did not receive a substantive answer on the day named for answer.

Hugo Swire: Between 27 May 2010 and 9 March 2011, 11 written questions for named day answer were tabled to the Northern Ireland Office, of which three (27%) did not receive a substantive answer on the date specified.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the security situation in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the security situation in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Fox: I refer the hon. Members to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington (Tom Brake).

Military Covenant

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had on the Military Covenant with veterans’ charities.

Andrew Robathan: Officials in the Ministry of Defence hold regular discussions with the Confederation of British Service and ex-Service organisations, representing a wide range of charities, and with the Royal British Legion and the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association Forces Help. All of these are members of the External Reference Group which delivers an independent judgment on the Government’s efforts in supporting the armed forces community. The Covenant has featured in these discussions. I last discussed the Covenant with the Royal British Legion on 7 March.

Operation Herrick

Louise Bagshawe: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent representations he has received on the provision of equipment for Operation Herrick; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Luff: Priority continues to be given to the delivery of capability to our armed forces to support operations in Afghanistan. Our equipment requirements are kept under constant review, taking military advice, including advice from our Commanders in Afghanistan; as the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Defence have made clear on many occasions, this Government are determined to make sure that our brave service personnel have all the equipment and protection they need for the absolutely vital work they are undertaking in Afghanistan.

Reserve Forces

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence by what date he expects his Department’s Reserve Forces study to be completed.

Andrew Robathan: The Future Reserves 2020 Study, announced by the Prime Minister on 19 October 2010, is to conclude in the summer.

Conflict Prevention

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to enhance the role of the armed forces in conflict prevention.

Gerald Howarth: The strategic defence and security review commits the armed forces to work closely with other Government Departments to help identify and prevent potential conflicts. This includes co-ordinating non-operational activities such as security sector reform, training of security forces, joint exercises and strengthening our relationships with partner nations and international organisations such as NATO, the UN and the EU. The FCO, DFID and MOD are developing the new Building Stability Overseas Strategy which will integrate our diplomatic, development and defence resources to promote regional stability.

Armed Forces: Redundancies

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of potential regional variations in redundancies from the armed forces.

Andrew Robathan: The current armed forces redundancy programme is driven by force structure changes, as required by the strategic defence and security review, and therefore regional variations are not a consideration.

Armed Forces: Injuries

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what the average level of compensation awarded to military amputees was in the last year for which figures are available;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the average cost incurred by military amputees for carrying out adaptations to their homes in the latest period for which figures are available.

Andrew Robathan: The following table provides the number of claims awarded under the Armed Forces and Reserve Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) within the tariff of injury table for amputations for financial year 2009-10. The breakdown is by tariff level at which the amputation was awarded (for more than one condition the figure includes the condition awarded at the most serious tariff level only) and provides the lump sum amounts that are currently awarded at each tariff level. Claims are awarded under the AFCS based on 15 tariff levels, with a lump sum attached to each level. For the more severe injuries, tariffs one to 11, a further sum is paid in the form of a guaranteed income payment (GIP), which consists of regular payments to provide a continuous income stream.
	
		
			 Tariff level Lump sum  amount (£) Number of claims awarded in FY 2009-10 
			 1 570,000 0 
			 2 402,500 — 
			 3 230,000 — 
			 4 172,500 — 
			 5 115,000 15 
			 6 92,000 5 
			 7 63,825 0 
			 8 48,875 0 
			 9 34,100 0 
			 10 23,100 0 
			 11 13,750 0 
			 12 9,075 — 
			 13 5,775 — 
			 14 2,888 10 
			 15 1,155 0 
			 Note: All figures of five or more have been rounded to the nearest five and figures fewer than five have been suppressed and marked ‘—’. 
		
	
	Costs associated with adaptations to the homes of serving amputees are met by the Ministry of Defence. Injured former service personnel in England, Scotland and Wales have been granted a higher status than other groups who require adapted housing and they also have priority access to affordable housing schemes in the United Kingdom. Compensation payments given to injured personnel are disregarded in England and Wales when assessing the affordability criteria, and for the Disabilities Facilities Grant in all areas of the UK. In Scotland they take account of the personal financial circumstances of the injured service person when assessing affordability.

Armed Forces: Northern Ireland

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel (a) on operational development and (b) in total were garrisoned in Northern Ireland in the latest period for which figures are available.

Nick Harvey: As at December 2010, there was a total of 3,860 regular service personnel garrisoned in Northern Ireland (including those on operational deployment).

Armed Forces: Redundancy

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the number of members of the armed forces who will be made compulsorily redundant in each of the next three years; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: The strategic defence and security review set out the long term plans for our armed forces and made clear that the future force structure will require fewer people. The combined size of the Royal Navy, the Army and the Royal Air Force will fall by some 17,000, by 31 March 2015. Some of this reduction will be achieved by slowing down recruitment and through natural wastage, and the department has estimated that up to around 11,000 personnel will need to be made redundant.

Armed Forces: Redundancy

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the oral statement of 15 February 2011, Official Report, columns 815-16, on armed forces (redundancies), when he expects his Department’s investigation into the notification of redundancy by email of 38 Army personnel to conclude; and whether he expects to publish its conclusions.

Andrew Robathan: The Ministry of Defence fully recognises the distress that this caused the individuals and their families, and I take this opportunity once again to apologise unreservedly for this error.
	We do not intend to publish the conclusions of the investigation, which was completed on 23 February 2011. This investigation has confirmed that this was the result of a genuine and isolated error which meant that the normal staffing procedures were not followed. This meant that the 38 individuals affected had not been informed of this decision by the Chain of Command before they received the email from the Army Personnel Centre (APC), which would usually be the case. As a result of the investigation, every effort has been made to minimise the risk of this sort of thing happening again. These include clearance at APC Branch Colonel level of all communication that is about or may result in termination.

Armed Forces: Redundancy

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the oral statement of 15 February 2011, Official Report, columns 815-16, on armed forces (redundancies), what role (a) he and (b) other Ministers in his Department is taking in the investigation into the notification of redundancy by email of 38 Army personnel.

Andrew Robathan: None. As was previously explained 15 February 2001, Official Report, columns 817-18, this is properly a matter for the Army Chain of Command.

Armed Forces: Redundancy

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the oral statement of 15 February 2011, Official Report, columns 815-16, on armed forces (redundancies), how many of his Department’s staff are taking part in the investigation into the circumstances relating to the notification of redundancy by email of 38 Army personnel.

Andrew Robathan: Three Army personnel were involved in the investigation, which concluded on 23 February 2011.

Brighton

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will bring forward proposals to relocate (a) staff and (b) offices of his Department to Brighton; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: The Ministry of Defence has no plans to move either staff or offices to Brighton. The relocation of Department staff outside of London continues to be considered amongst other options to deliver the savings set out at the spending review and increase the efficiency of the Government’s estate.

Cybercrime

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have had with their (i) EU, (ii) NATO and (iii) UN counterparts on the establishment of international frameworks to deal with cyber-attacks.

Nick Harvey: holding answer 10 March 2011
	Action to enhance our cyber security is a national priority and we have allotted funding of £650 million over the next four years as part of the National Cyber Security Programme to address these concerns. Of course, the Government cannot and should not attempt to tackle this issue by itself and we are actively discussing options for collaboration with both international partners and with industry. As the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, the right hon. Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), said to the Munich Security Conference,
	“being global, cyber threats also call for a collective response”.
	To this end, the Secretary of State and I have had wide ranging and productive conversations with our international partners throughout NATO, the EU and beyond.
	Over 10 and 11 of March 2011, the Secretary of State for Defence discussed the NATO Cyber Defence Concept with his ministerial counterparts in Brussels. This will set the parameters for NATO's future cyber defence policy. We have already signed a Cyber Defence Memorandum of Understanding with NATO that allows us to share information and hope to sign further bilateral agreements with countries whose capabilities are complementary to our own. The FCO and Home Office will lead on engagements with the EU and UN, with the Cabinet Office co-ordinating our overall international engagement strategy.

Departmental Billing

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of invoices from suppliers his Department paid within 10 days of receipt in January and February 2011.

Andrew Robathan: 10 day payment information currently available for the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and its Trading Funds, for January and February 2011, is provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Percentage of invoices paid within 10 days of receipt by the Defence Financial Management Shared Service Centre 
			 January 2011 98.3 
			 February 2011 98.5 
		
	
	Since 1 May 2010 the MOD began measuring performance against a target of payment within five working days. Data available against the new target is published on the MOD’s website
	http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/WhatWeDo/FinanceandProcurement/FMSSC/MinistryOfDefencePaymentPerformance.htm
	and provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Percentage of invoices paid within 5 days of receipt by the Defence Financial Management Shared Service Centre 
			 January 2011 94.0 
			 February 2011 94.4

Departmental Redundancy

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether an early release programme has been established for civilian personnel to be made redundant as a result of the outcome of the Strategic Defence and Security Review.

Andrew Robathan: An early release scheme was launched on 28 February with the aim of achieving around 4,000 voluntary staff exits by 31 March 2012. No decision has yet been taken on the requirement for and nature of any paid release programmes after the end of 2011-12.

Electronic Warfare

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the potential effects of deploying electronic countermeasures in military bases on the health of armed forces personnel deployed in those bases.

Andrew Robathan: All electronic countermeasures equipment is tested to confirm that it is safe to be used by military personnel. Specifically the Ministry of Defence (MOD) work with the Health Protection Agency Radiological Protection Division to establish restrictions on and compliance with human exposure to static and time varying electromagnetic fields and radiation.
	Specific research has been conducted where certain safety limits have been exceeded prior to deployment and corrective action has been taken to maintain safety compliance.
	Electronic countermeasures are specifically designed to save the lives of military personnel and wider knowledge would compromise this capability. For the purposes of National security and continued protection of military personnel on operations in Afghanistan, the MOD does not release specific detail about the nature of electronic countermeasures.

Germany: Military Bases

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 31 January 2011, Official Report, column 582W, on returning troop costs (Germany), what assessment he has made of the effects of withdrawal of all forces from Germany by 2020 on (a) operational effectiveness and (b) welfare.

Nick Harvey: The basing of British forces in Germany is largely a legacy of the cold war, when very different geo-strategic considerations prevailed. It now makes operational sense to consolidate British forces within the UK. This will enable us to generate capability and prepare for operations without the logistical and administrative difficulties presented by a field army split between two countries.
	Regarding welfare issues, the Army will benefit from the rebasing policy in a number of ways: service personnel and their families will face less disruption from long-distance relocations; they will be able to utilise the full range of public services provided in the UK, rather than relying on substitute services in Germany; and the Army will be able to provide more consistent support and welfare.
	The precise nature of these effects will, of course, be contingent on the detail of the rebasing policy, which is still being prepared.

Guided Missiles

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful firings of the Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missile there have been from each aircraft type since 2009.

Peter Luff: Meteor is a six-nation collaborative programme involving the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Sweden. There have been a total of six firings involving Gripen and Tornado aircraft since the beginning of 2009.1 am withholding more detailed information on the Meteor firing programme on the grounds that its disclosure would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the UK and partner nations' armed forces and would be likely to prejudice international relations with the other Meteor partner nations.

Puma Helicopters

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  which company was awarded the contract to refit Puma helicopters; and what the monetary value of the contract is;
	(2)  whether the contract to refit Puma helicopters is included in his Department's review of contracts underway; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  whether his Department considered purchasing new helicopters as an alternative to refitting the Puma helicopters before awarding the refit contract;
	(4)  whether his Department has considered purchasing new helicopters in place of proceeding with the refit of Puma helicopters since letting the refit contract;
	(5)  what estimate he has made of the cost of refitting a Puma helicopter under the refit contract let in 2009.

Peter Luff: A contract was signed with Eurocopter UK in September 2009 for the demonstration and manufacture phases of the Puma Life Extension Programme (LEP). In addition a contract was placed with Turbomeca for the supply of new Makila engines. The total value of contracts placed in support of the Puma LEP is £347 million. This includes the one-off costs associated with developing the required modifications and undertaking the trials activity necessary to certify the aircraft; the provision of initial support and conversion training for aircrew and maintainers; and the cost of modifying each helicopter.
	The contract renegotiation programme in support of the decision taken in the Strategic Defence and Security Review is under way. It is not appropriate to make a statement about individual contracts at this stage.
	In 2009, prior to the award of the current contracts, a detailed review was undertaken of whether the acquisition of new medium helicopters could be advanced in lieu of the planned life-extension of Puma. This review concluded that, within available resources, it would not be feasible to acquire new helicopters without unacceptable risk to operational commitments.
	The Strategic Defence and Security Review undertaken in 2010 reviewed the need for Puma and confirmed the ongoing requirement. As with all programmes this is subject to the ongoing planning round which is expected to conclude in spring 2011.

RAF Valley

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer to question 44880, with which private sector companies his Department holds contracts for work at RAF Valley.

Nick Harvey: The following table provides details of the civilian contractors at RAF Valley.
	
		
			 Civilian contractor Capacity 
			 Babcock Defence services) Station Multi Activity Contract (MAC) (support 
			  Support to Hawk and Advanced Jet Trainer. 
			  Sub-contractor work. 
			   
			 OCS Babcock Defence sub-contractor (MAC) 
			   
			 BAE Systems Support to Hawk and Advanced Jet Trainer. 
			  Hawk TMkl synthetic training simulator. 
			   
			 Rolls Royce Engines for TMkl Hawk. 
			   
			 ASCENT Flying Training Services provider. 
			   
			 Augusta Westland Support to SeaKing. 
			   
			 FB Heliservices Maintenance and operational support to Search and Rescue Training Unit. 
			   
			 Safeskys Bird Control Services. 
			  Hawk Ground Training School contract. 
			   
		
	
	
		
			 Christy Aerospace and Technology Ltd Training support to Hawk ground school. 
			   
			 Ocean Flight planning software and support. 
			   
			 ATLAS IT management and maintenance. 
			   
			 ESS Support Services Catering and Hotel services. 
			   
			 Carillion Defence estates regional prime contractor. 
			   
			 Kelda Water Project Aquatrine. 
			   
			 THALES SeaKing synthetic training simulator. 
			   
			 Compass Leisure services.

Strategic Defence and Security Review

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department has taken to meet its commitment in the strategic defence and security review to give energy a higher priority in UK foreign policy.

David Lidington: I have been asked to reply.
	In line with the strategic defence and security review (SDSR) and the Whitehall International Energy Strategy, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC), and other Government Departments (including the Ministry of Defence (MOD)) have raised the level of engagement with those countries identified as priorities for UK energy security. For example, FCO, DECC, and MOD Energy Ministers have all visited Norway since the SDSR; a State visit by the Emir of Qatar took place in October 2010; the Deputy Prime Minister visited Kazakhstan in December 2010. More regular ministerial contact has been established with UK-based International Oil Companies to support UK commercial energy interests. We are working through the EU, G20 and other international fora to increase price stability and mitigate risks to supply. A new International Energy Forum charter was agreed in February 2011 to enhance producer-consumer dialogue.
	The cross-Whitehall International Energy Committee, chaired jointly by FCO and DECC, ensures a joined-up governmental approach to prioritising energy in UK foreign policy.

Strategic Defence and Security Review

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much funding he has allocated to implementing the commitment in the Strategic Defence and Security Review to significantly enhance special forces capability in each year of the comprehensive spending review period.

Nick Harvey: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 24 November 2010, Official Report, column 317W. The Strategic Defence and Security Review highlighted the contribution of our special forces to a wide range of intervention operations and the vital support they provide to stabilisation operations and
	other commitments. We are investing in them more to increase their effectiveness even further. However, no further details will be provided as it is the long-standing policy of the Ministry of Defence not to comment on matters concerning United Kingdom special forces to protect operational capability.

Strategic Defence and Security Review

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much he expects his Department to save as a result of the commitment in the Strategic Defence and Security Review to reductions in the civilian workforce and non-front line service personnel in each year of the comprehensive spending review period.

Andrew Robathan: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Houghton and Sunderland South (Bridget Phillipson) on 2 March 2011, Official Report, column 453W. The Ministry of Defence announced significant reductions to both civilian and military personnel as part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review. Final savings figures on redundancies will depend on detailed implementation of these reductions, which will include early release and natural wastage, as well as redundancies. Estimates are subject to change and the MOD is therefore not prepared to release more detailed figures at this time.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Anti-Terrorism Control Orders: Prosecutions

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions have been brought against individuals subject to control orders to date; and for which offences.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 4 March 2011
	The Secretary of State reports to Parliament on the exercise of her powers under the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005—and on criminal proceedings for breaches of control orders—on a quarterly basis, and additionally on an ad hoc basis if required. At 10 December 2010, the end of the period covered by the most recent such report (16 December 2010, Official Report , columns 124-25WS), 48 individuals had ever been subject to a control order. Of these, 10 have been charged with breaching their control order, two have been convicted; one was acquitted; one absconded before trial; one foreign national left the UK voluntarily and charges remain on file; three cases were discontinued as the Crown Prosecution Service concluded it was not in the public interest to prosecute; and two are currently awaiting trial.
	All of the individuals currently subject to a control order, and most of those who have ever been subject to a control order, are also subject to a court-imposed anonymity order. This prevents the publication of information that would identify, or would tend to identify, an individual as being subject to a control order. Since clarifying any offences (other than breaching their control order) for which these individuals have been prosecuted—together with information already in the public domain about individuals who have been charged with offences, including in particular terrorism offences—would tend to breach the court imposed anonymity order, it is not possible to provide this information.

Asylum

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress her Department has made in reducing the time taken to determine asylum applications.

Damian Green: The average percentage of asylum claims that have received an initial decision within 30 days is 61% for cohorts since May 2010, compared to 46% for cohorts in the 12 months before May 2010. The average percentage of asylum cases concluded (granted or removed) within six months was 53% for cohorts since May 2010, compared to 48% for cohorts in the 12 months prior to May 2010.
	Both of these indicators form part of a new framework that measures our progress towards an asylum system with swifter case conclusions and no backlogs, delivered at significantly lower cost to the taxpayer. Through the Asylum Improvement Project we have been testing a number of new ideas to improve the speed of the system including increased use of specialist case owners, tools to improve the flow of decision making, and a more structured approach to interviews and decisions.

Asylum

Ben Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment her Department has made of the likely effect of recent events in countries of North Africa and the Middle East on numbers of applications for asylum in the UK.

Damian Green: The UK Border Agency is closely assessing the risks that recent events in north Africa and the middle east may present to asylum intake. So far there is no indication of a significant change in applications for asylum made by nationals of affected countries, or from the surrounding areas. Nonetheless the UK Border Agency will continue to monitor the situation to ensure that it is well placed to manage any emerging risks and respond effectively should the situation change.

Black Police Association

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what meetings (a) she and (b) Ministers in her Department have had with representatives of the (i) Black Police Association, (ii) National Association of Muslim Police, (iii) Jewish Police Association and (iv) British Association of Women Police since May 2010.

Nick Herbert: I met with the National Association of Muslim Police on 12 January 2011. I also provided a video address for the National Black Police Association conference held on 12 October 2010. The Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), and other Ministers in the Home Office have not met any of these bodies.

Breathalysers

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of police cars carry roadside breath test equipment; and what estimate has been made of the (a) cost and (b) time spent transporting testing equipment for use by officers who do not have such equipment available to them in the latest period for which figures are available.

James Brokenshire: The information requested is not held centrally.

British Overseas Citizenship

Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will consider the merits of a selective regularisation scheme for British overseas citizens who have no access to (a) settlement and (b) citizenship under the immigration rules.

Damian Green: British Overseas citizens have access to be able to apply for settlement. Those who meet the criteria or who can provide evidence of compelling and compassionate circumstances and/or human rights considerations are able to qualify for a grant of leave outside of the rules.
	There are provisions under which British Overseas citizens can apply to become British citizens if certain criteria are met. Information about those provisions is published on the UK Border Agency website.
	As such, we are not considering a selective regularisation scheme for British Overseas citizens who have not been granted settlement, or who cannot qualify for citizenship under the immigration rules.

British Overseas Citizenship

Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of British overseas citizens who have no avenue to full British citizenship or settlement under the immigration rules; and how many such British overseas citizens come from each country of origin.

Damian Green: We are unable to estimate how many British Overseas citizens (BOCs) fit into this category. To determine which BOCs do not have a route to settlement or citizenship would require looking at individual cases and so would therefore be at disproportionate cost.

Crime: Maps

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she has made an estimate of the number of inaccurately located crimes on the crime mapping website.

Nick Herbert: For privacy reasons, and in order to protect the identity of victims, crimes or incidents of antisocial behaviour shown on the police.uk website are
	mapped to an anonymous point on, or near, the street where they occurred, and not normally on streets with fewer than 12 postal addresses.
	Police forces are responsible for the accuracy of the data and, where appropriate, will continue to review and update the information provided, taking public feedback into consideration.

Crime: Young People

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will take steps to ensure that regional variations of youth victimisation are included in future statistical reports published by her Department on the victimisation of children aged 10 to 15 years.

James Brokenshire: The presentation of data in National Statistics reports published by my Department is a matter for the Home Office chief statistician to decide. I will ask him to write to my hon. Friend and will arrange for a copy of his letter to be placed in the House Library.

Departmental Procurement

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which procurement projects engaged upon by (a) her Department and (b) each non-departmental public body and agency for which she is responsible had a designated senior responsible owner in the latest period for which figures are available; and on what date each officer was appointed in each such case.

Damian Green: The Home Office requires that all programmes and projects are owned by a senior responsible owner. Details of their appointment dates are not held centrally.

Departmental Regulation

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what regulations her Department repealed between 3 February and 28 February 2011.

Damian Green: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	The following statutory instruments in the form of regulations were revoked by the Department between 3 February and 28 February 2011. None of the revocations are yet in force.
	
		
			 (1) Regulations revoked (2) References (3) Extent of revocation (4) Revoking instrument 
			 The Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) (England, Wales and Scotland) Regulations 2010 S.I. 2010/1144 Regulation 3(a) S.I. 2011/448 
			 The Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) (England, Wales and Scotland) Regulations 2009 S.I. 2009/3136 Regulation 3 S.I. 2011/448 
			 The Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2006 S.I. 2006/1003 Paragraph 7 of Schedule 5 S.I. 2011/544 
			 The Accession (Immigration and Worker Authorisation) Regulations 2006 S.I. 2006/3317 Paragraph 1 of Schedule 2 S.I. 2011/544 
			 The Accession (Immigration and Worker Authorisation) (Amendment) Regulations 2007 S.I. 2007/475 Regulation 3 S.I. 2011/544 
			 The Accession (Immigration and Worker Registration) (Amendment) Regulations 2007 S.I. 2007/928 The whole Regulations S.I. 2011/544 
		
	
	
		
			 The Accession (Worker Authorisation and Worker Registration) (Amendment) Regulations 2007 S.I. 2007/3012 Regulation 3 S.I. 2011/544 
			 The Accession (Immigration and Worker Registration) (Amendment) Regulations 2009 S.I. 2009/892 The whole Regulations S.I. 2011/544 
			 The Accession (Worker Authorisation and Worker Registration) (Amendment) Regulations 2009 S.I. 2009/2426 Regulation 3 S.I. 2011/544

Detention Centres: Children

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children were detained in immigration removal centres in (a) 2009 and (b) 2010.

Damian Green: The requested information is not available. Published figures show that 1,120 children entered detention solely under Immigration Act powers in 2009 and 405 in 2010; however, some of these children may have entered detention more than once.
	The Home Office publishes statistics on children entering detention, solely under Immigration Act powers on a quarterly and annual basis, which are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office's Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html
	On 16 December 2010, the Government announced the immediate closure of the family unit to children at the Yarl's Wood immigration removal centre. A new non-detained family returns process was also announced to deliver the coalition commitment to end the detention of children for immigration purposes.
	A fresh approach to managing family returns is being developed which places greater emphasis on engagement with families and aims to encourage families to leave without the need for enforcement action if they are found to have no legal right to be in the UK.
	Most elements of this new process went live across the UK on 1 March, including the setting up of a new independent Family Returns Panel to advise the UK Border Agency on how to ensure the return of those families who do not take up the opportunities to leave under their own steam. A range of options has been developed to provide sufficient flexibility for a tailored approach to each family.

Dyfed-Powys Police: Helicopters

Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of Dyfed Powys Police Authority’s Air Support Service.

Nick Herbert: The Government recognise the challenges that are faced by Dyfed-Powys police in covering a large geographical area with a single helicopter but also recognises the need to provide value for money for the taxpayer. The introduction of a National Police Air Service (NPAS) from 1 April 2012 will provide a mixed fleet of rotary and fixed-wing aircraft that will operate across borders. The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) believes that the replacement of the Dyfed-Powys helicopter with a fixed-wing aircraft is a more effective solution giving eight hours more coverage and greater resilience across the whole of Wales.
	The ACPO/National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) project team continue to work closely with Dyfed-Powys police to find a solution within NPAS that meet the needs of the force.

Homicide

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the position of the UK in international comparator tables on rates of homicide.

James Brokenshire: A number of international organisations, including Eurostat, have attempted to collate international homicide statistics. It is important to note that there are issues surrounding the comparability of international homicide data. There are different definitions of homicide between countries, although definitions vary less than for some other types of crimes. Furthermore, there are differing points in criminal justice systems at which homicides are recorded, i.e. when the offence is discovered or following further investigation.
	The most recent Eurostat figures compare homicide rates averaged over the years 2006 to 2008. These are published in ‘Crime and Criminal Justice’ by Cynthia Tavares and Geoffrey Thomas and are available via the following link:
	http://www.eds-destatis.de/en/downloads/sif/sf_10_058.pdf
	The rates for the 15 countries that were members of the European Union prior to the accession of 10 candidate countries on 1 May 2004 are shown in Table A, per million population. The Eurostat published rate for England and Wales is 13.5, for Scotland is 21.4 and for Northern Ireland is 15.2. Eurostat calculated the England and Wales rate using the recorded crime returns rather than the Homicide Index. If the Homicide Index had been used, the figure would be slightly lower.
	Among the countries that joined the EU on or after May 2004, rates for eastern European countries tend to be higher, rising to 87.6 in Lithuania and 66.0 in Estonia, though the rate for Poland is 12.9, which is lower than that for England and Wales.
	The Federal Bureau of Investigation commented on homicide rates in the USA in their publication ‘Crime in the United States, 2008’. They stated that, although the rate of murder and non-negligent manslaughter in the USA has fallen substantially in recent years, to 56 per million population in 2008, it is still well above those experienced in western Europe.
	Another key source for international homicide data is the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). UNODC statistics currently cover over 198 countries or territories. The data are drawn from various different datasets. The UK are included in the table of homicide rates based on criminal justice sources and are ranked below the median for all countries which provided these
	data. However, for the reasons stated earlier, caution should be taken when making such comparisons. The UNODC data are available at the following link:
	http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/data-and-analysis/homicide.html
	
		
			 Table A Homicide rate per million population for 15 European Union countries (ranked in order high to low) 
			 Country Rate 
			 Finland 23.4 
			 UK: Scotland 21.4 
			 Ireland 20.0 
			 Belgium 19.7 
			 Luxembourg 16.1 
			 UK: Northern Ireland 15.2 
			 Portugal 14.6 
			 France 13.7 
			 UK: England and Wales(1)  13.5 
			 Denmark 12.2 
			 Italy 11.3 
			 Sweden 10.6 
			 Greece 10.4 
			 Netherlands 10.2 
			 Spain 10.2 
			 Germany 8.4 
			 Austria 6.1 
			 (1) Eurostat calculated this figure using the recorded crime returns, not the Homicide Index. If the Homicide Index had been used, the figure would be slightly lower.

Immigration Controls

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects to publish new guidelines for immigration judges; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: Immigration judges are independent judicial office holders and the UK Border Agency does not issue guidance to them.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to reply to the letter sent by the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton on 14 January 2011 with regard to Mr Y Ashraf.

Damian Green: holding answer 4 March 2011
	I refer the right hon. Member to the reply given by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), on 28 February 2011.

Northumbria Police: Manpower

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will assess the potential effects of a reduction in the number of police officers employed by Northumbria police on the level of crime in the Northumbria police force area.

Nick Herbert: There is no simple link between levels of crime and the number of police officers. This view is supported by a report from the Select Committee on
	Home Affairs. The Home Office will continue to publish data on police officer numbers and crime levels in each police force.

Northumbria Police: Stun Guns

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions a stun gun was (a) deployed and (b) fired by officers of Northumbria police in each of the last three years.

Nick Herbert: The last published figures show that Taser was used by Northumbria police 884 times between April 2004 and 30 September 2009. It was discharged 152 times over the same period.
	Previously published figures on the use of Taser can be found on the archived Home Office website at:
	http://tna.europarchive.org/20100419081706/http://www.police.homeoffice.gov.uk/operational-policing/firearms/taser/index.html

Official Cars: Prime Minister

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost to the public purse was of the (a) purchase, (b) adaptation, (c) delivery and (d) other associated costs of the Jaguar XJ Sentinel vehicle for the use of the Prime Minister.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 7 March 2011
	It is our policy not to provide detailed information on the cost of security to protected individuals. To do so would compromise the integrity of the security arrangements of the individuals concerned.

Police

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress she has made in introducing new charging arrangements for police forces; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Herbert: We are returning charging decisions to the police for a range of offences, saving valuable police time. We are discussing with the Crown Prosecution Service and Association of Chief Police Officers the possibility of returning additional offences to the police through a second phase of charging transfers.

Police: Bureaucracy

Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will take steps to reduce the level of paperwork required of police officers dealing with suspected domestic violence incidents.

Nick Herbert: The Government are committed to reducing unnecessary bureaucracy in policing while ensuring that the right safeguards are in place for victims of domestic violence. This is an area that requires effective risk-management and therefore needs careful consideration of the potential impact any changes may have on vulnerable victims of domestic violence.

Police: Bureaucracy

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the likely effect on the administrative burden on police forces of changes to the Code of Practice A under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984.

Nick Herbert: The recent changes made to the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 Codes of Practice A, B and D are focused on reducing bureaucracy in police forces and allowing them to make decisions at a local level that directly affect their communities. The administrative savings made by the new procedures will significantly outweigh any transitional burden on forces.

Police: Yorkshire and the Humber

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) police officers and (b) police community support officers were assigned to duties in (i) South Yorkshire and (ii) Doncaster on (A) 1 May 1997, (B) 1 May 2009, (C) 1 May 2010 and (D) the most recent date for which figures are available.

Nick Herbert: The available data are provided in the table, which shows the number of police officers and police community support officers in post in South Yorkshire and Doncaster as at 31 March 1997, 2009, 2010 and as at 30 September 2010. Figures are not collected as at 1 May, the closest figures are as at 31 March.
	
		
			 Police officer and police community support officer strength for South Yorkshire and Doncaster   (1,2) 
			  Police officers Police community support officers 
			  South Yorkshire Doncaster South Yorkshire Doncaster 
			 1996-97 3,159 (3)n/a (4)n/a (4)n/a 
			 2008-09 3,053 502 328 74 
			 2009-10 2,953 478 328 74 
			 30 September 2010 2,977 (5)n/a 314 (5)n/a 
			 (1) This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number.  (2) Figures for 2008-09, 2009-10 and 30 September 2010 include staff on career breaks, maternity/paternity leave (not comparable with figures prior to 2003); however the figure for 1996-97 excludes staff on career breaks, maternity/paternity leave (is comparable with figures prior to 2003).  (3) Figures for police officers broken down by Basic Command Unit were not collected before 2003.  (4) Police community support officers did not exist prior to 2002.  (5) Police service strength is not broken down by Basic Command Unit in 30 September 2010 as these data are only collected for 31 March.

Third Sector

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether (a) she and (b) Ministers in her Department are participating in volunteering activities as part of her Department's involvement in the Big Society initiative.

Damian Green: Home Office Ministers are actively involved with charities on a private basis as detailed in the list of Ministers’ interests recently published by the Cabinet Office, as well as our involvement in other local voluntary activities in our constituencies.

Vetting

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of individuals barred under the Vetting and Barring scheme also have a criminal record for sex offences.

Lynne Featherstone: A total of 15,559 individuals have been barred through the Independent Safeguarding Authority's (ISA) autobar and discretionary powers between 20 January 2009 and 28 February 2011; of these 69.1% (10,753 people) have a criminal record for one or more sexual offences.
	However, criminal records data are not readily available for all discretionary bars. In addition, this figure excludes any barring decisions made on those people who were included on the previous barred lists and whom the ISA has “determined” under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 (Transitory Provisions) Order 2009 should be placed on the ISA barred lists.

Visas: Students

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what impact assessment she has carried out to determine the effects on the (a) education sector and (b) economy of her proposals to cap non-EU Students in (i) England, (ii) Scotland, (iii) Wales and (iv) Northern Ireland.

Damian Green: A consultation on the student immigration system closed on 31 January 2011. The consultation sought the views of all respondents on the effect of the proposals. The results of the consultation and an impact assessment will be published in due course.

PRIME MINISTER

10 Downing Street and Chequers

Tom Watson: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 7 March 2011, Official Report, column 740W, on Chequers: official visits, how many days he has spent at (a) Downing street and (b) Chequers since his appointment.

David Cameron: I have nothing further to add to the answer I gave on 7 March 2011, Official Report, column 740W.

Anti-Semitism

David Amess: To ask the Prime Minister what recent meetings he has had with the Board of Deputies of British Jews on levels of anti-Semitism; and if he will make a statement.

David Cameron: The Government are concerned with any anti-Semitic act and it presses for prosecutions.

Chequers

Tom Watson: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  what the roles and responsibilities are of each member of civilian staff employed at Chequers;
	(2)  how much has been spent on refurbishment at Chequers since his appointment.

David Cameron: This information is not a matter for the Government. Chequers is administered by independent trustees who receive an annual grant from the Cabinet Office towards its maintenance and to cover civilian staff employed at Chequers in accordance with the Acts.
	The grant for the financial year 2010-11 was agreed under the previous administration. Information will be included in the annual Cabinet Office Report and Accounts, which will be published before the summer recess.

Chequers

Tom Watson: To ask the Prime Minister what the cost to the public purse has been of the purchase of (a) red wine, (b) white wine, (c) champagne and (d) fortified wine for use at Chequers since his appointment; on how many occasions each has been served; and if he will make a statement.

David Cameron: Details of the cost of entertainment and hospitality in Downing street and Chequers are published annually.

Chequers: Operating Costs

Tom Watson: To ask the Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the likely cost to the public purse of the annual grant from the Cabinet Office for the operation of Chequers for each category of cost in 2011-12.

David Cameron: Chequers is administered by independent trustees who receive an annual grant from the Cabinet Office towards its maintenance and to cover civilian staff employed at Chequers in accordance with the Acts.
	Information about the grant for 2011-12 will be included in the annual Cabinet Office report and accounts which will be published at the end of the financial year.

Community Security Trust Annual Dinner

David Amess: To ask the Prime Minister if he will place in the Library a copy of his speech to the Community Security Trust Annual Dinner; which Members of the Government also attended the dinner; and if he will make a statement.

David Cameron: A copy of the speech has been placed in the Libraries of the House. For information of which Members of the Government also attended the dinner I refer my hon. Friend to the quarterly list of Ministers' hospitality which can be found on the Number 10 website:
	http://transparency.number10.gov.uk/who.php

Departmental Official Visits

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  on what date his Office finalised the list of individuals to accompany him on his recent visit to the middle east;
	(2)  on what date his recent visit to the middle east was first proposed;
	(3)  what the name is of each person not employed by a Government Department who accompanied him on his recent visit to the middle east.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  what meetings he had during his recent visit to the Gulf region to discuss defence equipment sales;
	(2)  which representatives from defence industries accompanied him on his recent visit to the Gulf region;
	(3)  which (a) special advisers and (b) officials accompanied him on his recent visit to the Gulf region;
	(4)  what consideration he gave to postponing his recent visit to the Gulf region in light of unrest in Egypt and Libya.

David Cameron: As set out in the Ministerial Code, details of all my overseas travel is published at least quarterly. This was a long-standing visit to the middle east with the aims of encouraging political reform, boosting trade and strengthening security ties. The visit comprised a varied programme to meet these three aims including meeting leaders and representatives of the business community. I have placed in the Libraries of both Houses a list of the business delegation who accompanied me.

E-petition System

Bob Stewart: To ask the Prime Minister what progress he has made on the implementation of the new e-petition system on the 10 Downing street website.

David Cameron: I refer the hon. Member to the notice on the No. 10 website about e-petitions:
	http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/

Libya

Tom Watson: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  when he was informed of the intention to send a diplomatic mission to eastern Libya;
	(2)  on what date he received the submission outlining the intention of the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to send a diplomatic mission to eastern Libya.

David Cameron: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 9 March 2011, Official Report, column 900.

Save the Children Fund

John Spellar: To ask the Prime Minister what meetings he has had with representatives of Save the Children since May 2010.

David Cameron: I met campaigners for Save the Children in August 2010 in my constituency. My Office has also had several meetings with Save the Children since May 2010.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Alternative Vote: Referendums

Alan Beith: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether electors registered for a permanent postal vote are automatically to be issued with postal ballot papers for the referendum on the use of the alternative vote for elections to the House of Commons.

Mark Harper: Any elector who has a postal vote at UK parliamentary elections, whether permanent or for a fixed period covering the referendum, will automatically be issued with a postal vote for the referendum. In addition, a person who is entitled to vote by post in one or more of the polls combined with the referendum on 5 May (including the elections to the devolved legislatures) will automatically be issued with a postal vote for the referendum if they are entitled to vote in it. Individuals will also be able to specifically apply for a postal vote for the referendum.

Departmental Written Questions

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what proportion of written questions tabled to him for answer on a named day between 27 May 2010 and 9 March 2011 did not receive a substantive answer on the day named for answer.

Nicholas Clegg: Between 27 May 2010 and 9 March 2011, 86 questions for answer on a named day were tabled to the Deputy Prime Minister, 59 of which received a substantive answer on the specified date.

Prisoners: Sentencing

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister for what reason he has determined that a four year sentence limit is appropriate for the enfranchisement of prisoners.

Mark Harper: As I indicated in my written ministerial statement on 20 December 2010, Official Report, columns 150-151WS:
	“Four years has in the past been regarded as the distinction between short and long-term prisoners, and the Government consider that permitting prisoners sentenced to less than four years' imprisonment to vote is sufficient to comply with the judgment.”
	The four year distinction historically has its statutory basis in the Criminal Justice Act 1991, and is still recognised in law as a dividing line in Scotland. More generally, the Government are considering the next steps on prisoner voting rights in view of the strength of feeling on this issue in the UK, as demonstrated by the recent debates in Parliament. The Government have sought to refer the Greens and MT judgment against the UK to the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights. If the Grand Chamber agrees to the referral they will look again at the case and issue their own judgment.

Prisoners: Voting Rights

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  whether he plans to allow ballot boxes to be taken into prisons in order to enable franchised prisoners to vote in elections;
	(2)  whether his proposals for the enfranchisement of certain prisoners requires primary legislation;
	(3)  what provision for voting will be made for prisoners detained in mental health establishments;
	(4)  whether prisoners without a residential address or a local area with which they have a connection will be able to register the prison as their eligible address for the purpose of voting;
	(5)  what his policy is on extending the franchise to prisoners found guilty of electoral fraud;
	(6)  whether primary legislation to enfranchise prisoners will be subject to pre-legislative scrutiny;
	(7)  what steps the Government is taking to ensure that people convicted of serious offences but who are serving a short sentence are not enfranchised;
	(8)  whether prisoners denied the right to vote by a sentencing judge will have a right to appeal;
	(9)  whether candidates for elections in which prisoners are to have the right to vote will be permitted to canvass prisoners in prisons;
	(10)  what his policy is on the enfranchisement of prisoners when they become eligible for parole;
	(11)  when he plans to publish legislative proposals in respect of enfranchisement of certain prisoners.

Mark Harper: The Government are considering the next steps on prisoner voting rights in view of the strength of feeling on this issue in the UK, as demonstrated by the recent debates in Parliament. The Government have sought to refer the Greens and MT judgment against the UK to the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights. If the Grand Chamber agrees to the referral they will look again at the case and issue their own judgment.
	The Government will set out their intended approach in due course.

Prisoners: Voting Rights

William Bain: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many prisoners in Scotland he estimates will receive the right to vote in parliamentary elections as a consequence of his plans to extend the franchise to those serving custodial sentences of up to four years.

Mark Harper: The Government are considering the next steps on prisoner voting rights in view of the strength of feeling on this issue in the UK, as demonstrated by the recent debates in Parliament. The Government have sought to refer the Greens and MT judgment against the UK to the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights. If the court agrees to the referral they will look again at the case and issue their own judgment.

Prisoners: Voting Rights

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many cases in relation to UK prisoner voting are pending before the European Court of Human Rights.

Mark Harper: I understand that as at the beginning of February 2011 the European Court of Human Rights has received approximately 3,500 claims from UK prisoners unable to vote in elections. It has suspended consideration of those claims pending the Government's implementation of the Hirst and Greens and MT judgments.
	More generally, the Government are considering the next steps on prisoner voting rights in view of the strength of feeling on this issue in the UK, as demonstrated by the recent debates in Parliament. The Government have sought to refer the Greens and MT judgment against the UK to the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights. If the Grand Chamber agrees to the referral they will look again at the case and issue their own judgment.

Prisoners: Voting Rights

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 20 December 2010, Official Report, columns 150-52WS, on voting entitlement 
	(1)  what the evidential basis was for the distinction made between serious and other offences for the purposes of sentencing in respect of proposals to allow convicted prisoners the right to vote; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment he made of the merits of setting a sentence guideline lower than four years in respect of proposals to allow convicted prisoners to vote; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Harper: As I indicated in my written ministerial statement on 20 December 2010, Official Report, columns 150-52WS,
	“Four years has in the past been regarded as the distinction between short and long-term prisoners, and the Government consider that permitting prisoners sentenced to less than four years’ imprisonment to vote is sufficient to comply with the judgment.”
	The four-year distinction historically has its statutory basis in the Criminal Justice Act 1991, and is still recognised in law as a dividing line in Scotland. More generally, the Government are considering the next steps on prisoner voting rights in view of the strength of feeling on this issue in the UK, as demonstrated by the recent debates in Parliament. The Government have sought to refer the Greens and MT judgment against the UK to the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights. If the Grand Chamber agrees to the referral, they will look again at the case and issue their own judgment.

Prisoners: Voting Rights

Helen Jones: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many prisoners in (a) the North West and (b) Warrington he expects to receive the right to vote in Parliamentary elections as a result of his plans to extend the franchise to those serving terms of up to four years.

Mark Harper: The Government are considering the next steps on prisoner voting rights in view of the strength of feeling on this issue in the UK, as demonstrated by the recent debates in Parliament. The Government have sought to refer the Greens and MT judgment against the UK to the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights. If the Court agrees to the referral they will look again at the case and issue their own judgment.

Prisoners: Voting Rights

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 29 November 2010, Official Report, column 497W, on prisoners: voting rights, what representations he has received from Scottish Ministers on the implementation of prisoners’ voting rights; and if he will publish each item of correspondence between him and Scottish Ministers on the issue.

Mark Harper: holding answer 18 January 2011
	Neither I nor the Deputy Prime Minister have received any representations from Scottish Ministers in relation to prisoners voting rights.

Prisoners: Voting Rights

David Davies: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what legal advice he has received on the compatibility with judgements of the European Court of Human Rights on the introduction of a prohibition on the enfranchisement of prisoners sentenced to terms of over one year.

Mark Harper: The Government do not disclose their legal advice. Disclosure of legal advice has a high potential to prejudice the Government’s ability to defend their legal interests—both directly, by unfairly exposing their legal position to challenge, and indirectly by diminishing the reliance it can place on the advice having been fully considered and presented without fear or favour. Neither of these is in the public interest.

Prisoners: Voting Rights

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will publish the legal advice which informed the Government’s decision on which prisoners to enfranchise.

Mark Harper: holding answer 11 February 2011
	The Government do not disclose their legal advice. Disclosure of legal advice has a high potential to prejudice the Government’s ability to defend its legal interests—both directly, by unfairly exposing their legal position to challenge, and indirectly by diminishing the reliance they can place on the advice having been fully considered and presented without fear or favour. Neither of these is in the public interest.

Prisoners: Voting Rights

Priti Patel: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what (a) recent discussions he has had and (b) legal advice he has received on the extension of the franchise to prisoners.

Mark Harper: holding answer 11 February 2011
	The Government do not disclose their legal advice. Disclosure of legal advice has a high potential to prejudice the Government's ability to defend its legal interests—both directly, by unfairly exposing its legal position to challenge, and indirectly by diminishing the reliance it can place on the advice having been fully considered and presented without fear or favour. Neither of these is in the public interest.

Prisoners: Voting Rights

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether any cases in relation to prisoners' voting rights are pending before domestic courts.

Mark Harper: holding answer 16 February 2011
	Around 585 prisoners made a claim in the domestic courts for compensation and/or a declaration that their rights were infringed for the fact that they were denied the
	right to vote. The court struck out those cases on the basis that damages cannot be awarded in the domestic courts under the Human Rights Act for a failure to introduce compatible legislation. The judgment was published on 18 February.

Public Bills

Natascha Engel: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with the Procedure Committee on (a) the introduction of a public reading stage for Bills and (b) a public reading day within a Bills committee stage;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with the Liaison Committee on (a) the introduction of a public reading stage for Bills and (b) a public reading day within a Bills committee stage;
	(3)  what discussions he has had with the Backbench Business Committee on (a) the introduction of a public reading stage for Bills and (b) a public reading day within a Bills committee stage;
	(4)  what discussions he has had with the committee of the House of Lords on (a) the introduction of a public reading stage for Bills and (b) a public reading day within a Bills committee stage.

Nicholas Clegg: The Leader of the House of Commons has regular discussions, including with those representing the relevant committees. The Leader of the House of Commons will have further discussions with colleagues within Government and both Houses on the development of the public reading stage of Bills following the pilot of the public reading stage of the Protection of Freedoms Bill.

Public Bills

Natascha Engel: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much has been spent on (a) introducing the public reading stage for Bills and (b) introducing a public reading day within a Bills committee stage to date.

Nicholas Clegg: No separately identifiable costs for the pilot have yet been established, although they are likely to be restricted to the establishment of the dedicated website. The Leader of the House of Commons will consider costs as part of his evaluation of the pilot.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Renewable Energy

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he plans to take together with the World Bank to support the development of renewable energy projects in the developing world.

Andrew Mitchell: World Bank Group lending to renewable energy projects (excluding large hydropower) has been steadily increasing, and reached $1.4 billion in 2009 and $1.5 billion in 2010. However, I believe all the multilateral development banks, including the World Bank, should be doing even more to support a shift to climate-smart investment and lending. I will be raising this when I visit the bank in April.
	The UK is a strong supporter of the Climate Investment Funds (CIFs) which work through the World Bank and other development banks to finance renewable energy, energy efficiency and sustainable transport in developing countries as well as forestry and adaptation to climate change. Current commitments under the Clean Technology Fund (CTF), the largest of the CIFs, amount to $3.1 billion for over 12 gigawatts of new renewable energy capacity, sufficient to provide power to almost 16 million households. We also provide core funding to the World Bank's Energy Sector Management Assistance Program, which helps countries develop roadmaps for renewable energy deployment and better understand the costs and benefits of renewables when compared to fossil fuels.

Departmental Procurement

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many procurement projects with a monetary value greater than (a) £10 million, (b) £50 million and (c) £100 million (i) his Department and (ii) each non-departmental public body for which he is responsible was engaged upon in the latest period for which figures are available.

Alan Duncan: In 2009-10 the Department for International Development (DFID) awarded a total of 16 contracts for procurement projects with a value greater than £10 million. Only one of these contracts had a value greater than £50 million and none had a value greater than £100 million.

Departmental Procurement

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which procurement projects engaged upon by (a) his Department and (b) each non-departmental public body for which he is responsible had a designated senior responsible owner in the latest period for which figures are available; and on what date each officer was appointed in each such case.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) has a designated senior responsible owner (SRO) in place for all programmes to ensure they meet objectives and deliver the projected benefits.
	Heads of DFID country offices and business units assume responsibility for the role of SRO for programmes in their country or business area on taking up their position. To provide specific dates of all changes in SRO on this basis would incur disproportionate cost.

Pakistan: Floods

Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the outcome of his Department's funding for humanitarian work in Pakistan following the floods in that country.

Andrew Mitchell: As of 31 January 2011, the Department for International Development's (DFID's) funding for the response to the Pakistan floods has delivered the following results:
	
		
			 Sector Indicator Results achieved (people) 
			 Water People provided with safe drinking water 2,145,000 
			 Sanitation People provided with access to latrines and/or washing areas 32.3,000 
			 Hygiene People receiving kits and participating in awareness sessions 1,739,000 
			 Health People able to access basic health care 603,000 
			 Nutrition Women and children receiving supplementary or therapeutic feeding for malnutrition 754,000 
			 Food People receiving food for one month 521,000 
			 Non-food items People receiving emergency packages of goods 1,252,000 
			 Shelter People provided with emergency shelter and support to rebuild their homes 1,133,000 
			 Agriculture People provided with seeds and fertilisers 270,000 
			 Agriculture People provided with fodder for their livestock 276,000

United Nations Environment Programme

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding he plans to provide to the United Nations Environment Programme in 2011-12.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) intends to provide £1.5 million in core funding to the United Nations Environment Programme in 2011/12. This is additional to the UK’s voluntary contribution to the United Nations Environment Programme handled by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), which has been £4.2 million per annum.

United Nations: Expenditure

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department allocated to each UN agency and programme in (a) 2010 and (b) 2011.

Alan Duncan: It is not yet possible to provide a full estimate of funding for UN organisations in 2010/11. In 2009/10, the latest year for which information is available, the Department for International Development (DFID) provided the following core and non-core funding to UN organisations:
	
		
			 £ million 
			  2009/10 
			 UN Organisation Core Non core 
			 Convention to Combat Desertification 0.9 — 
			 Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean — 0.4 
			 Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) 10.0 8.2 
			 International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) — 1.9 
			 International Labour Organisation (ILO) 4.1 1.4 
			 International Organisation for Migration (IOM) 0.9 6.5 
			 Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) 11.0 1.2 
			 United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) 21.0 113.9 
			 United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) — 0.1 
			 United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) 3.0 0.8 
			 United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) 57.8 215.1 
			 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) 10.0 1.0 
			 United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) 1.5 10.7 
			 United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN OHCHR) 2.5 — 
			 United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN HABITAT) 2.0 2.1 
			 United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) 4.9 — 
			 United Nations Mine Action Service — 1.1 
			 United Nations Office of Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) 7.0 74.9 
			 United Nations Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) 19.0 14.6 
			 United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) — 0.4 
			 United Nations Peacebuilding Fund — 0.1 
			 United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) 22.1 24.4 
			 United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) 24.9 2.0 
			 United Nations Research Institute for Social Development — 0.7 
			 World Food Programme (WFP) — 74.8 
			 World Health Organisation (WHO) 14.6 65.5 
		
	
	The Multilateral Aid Review is complete, but DFID has not yet taken funding decisions for 2011/12 for all
	UN organisations. DFID has informed UN organisations of the following funding intentions:
	
		
			  2011/12 
			 UN Organisation Core (£ millions) 
			 International Fund for Agricultural Development (FAD) 13.7 
			 International Organisation for Migration (IOM) 0.9 
			 Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) 10.0 
			 United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) 44.0 
			 United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) 55.0 
			 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) 16.0 
			 United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) 1.5 
			 United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN OHCHR) 2.5 
			 United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO)(1)  7.0 
			 United Nations Peacebuilding Fund 11.0 
			 United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) 20.0 
			 United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) 23.4 
			 World Health Organisation (WHO) 12.5 
			 (1 )The UK has announced its attention to withdraw from UNIDO and will pay two assessed contributions to serve out its notice period in 2011/12 and 2012/13.

EDUCATION

Academies: Finance

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the total allocation of funding from all public sources was for each Academy school in (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 24 January 2011
	We only hold information centrally on funding provided to academies by the Department for Education. The table setting out the details for the two financial years concerned has been placed in the House Libraries. In some cases, significantly more grant was paid in 2009-10 than is allocated for 2010/11 due to the 2009-10 payment including capital funding.

Academies: Standards

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment his Department has made of the potential effects of the expansion of the Academies programme on the quality of science and mathematics-based teaching.

Nick Gibb: Through their funding agreements, academies are required to teach mathematics and science as part of a broad and balanced curriculum. Results show that standards in academies continue to improve faster than the national average.

Children: Human Trafficking

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what progress has been made in locating the 77 children suspected of having been trafficked who have gone missing from children homes in the London Borough of Hillingdon since March 2006.

Tim Loughton: According to the London borough of Hillingdon, around 25% of the children to whom the question refers have been located through immigration processes, or having come to the notice of the police. Inquiries are continuing in relation to the other children. The local authority, the police and the United Kingdom Border Agency meet regularly to review the progress of these inquiries.

Children's Centres: Finance

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will reintroduce the ring-fence for funding provided to local authorities for children’s centres.

Sarah Teather: holding answer 19 November 2010
	The Department’s position is as described in the Secretary of State’s written ministerial statement published on 13 December 2010, Official Report, column 65WS, that the removal of the ring-fence on funding for Sure Start Children’s Centres will give local authorities greater freedom and flexibility to target resources effectively and strategically.
	Sure Start Children’s Centres are at the heart of the Government’s vision for supporting families with young children and intervening early to prevent problems from becoming crises. Through the Early Intervention Grant, the Government has ensured there is enough money to retain a network of Sure Start Children’s Centres, accessible to all but identifying and supporting families in greatest need.
	But the Government have made it clear that it is for local authorities to determine the most effective use of the grant. Local authorities will have greater flexibility, but they remain under statutory duties under the Childcare Act 2006 to consult before opening, closing or significantly changing children’s centres and to secure sufficient children’s centres provision to meet local need.

Connexions Service: Essex

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what discussions he has had with Essex county council on the future provision of the Connexions Service in Essex; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: Ministers have responded to Members of Parliament who have written, on behalf of their constituents, about the provision of Connexions services in Essex.
	Local authorities continue to be under a duty to provide such support as they consider necessary to encourage and assist the participation of young people (and young adults with learning difficulties and/or disabilities) in education and training. Decisions as to how such services should be provided are a matter for local authorities, taking account of their statutory responsibilities.

Connexions: Conditions of Employment

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what transfer of undertakings and protection of employment arrangements he plans to put in place for Connexions staff affected by the establishment of the all-age careers service.

Nick Gibb: The application of the transfer of undertakings (protection of employment) regulations depends on the specific facts in each case. It would, therefore, be neither possible nor appropriate for the Department to offer detailed guidance and the organisations involved should take their own legal advice.

ContactPoint: Finance

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what funding his Department allocated to ContactPoint in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11.

Tim Loughton: The Department spent £67.7 million in 2008-09 on ContactPoint and £68.6 million in 2009-10. We expect total expenditure in 2010-11 to be £22.7 million.

Departmental Expenditure

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what expenditure (a) his Department and (b) each public body sponsored by his Department incurred on engaging external audit services in each of the last three years; and to which service providers such payments were made in each year.

Tim Loughton: Expenditure by the Department and its arm’s length bodies for external audit services for the last three years is shown in the following table. To include all public bodies sponsored by the Department would incur disproportionate costs.
	
		
			 £ 
			  2007-08 2008-09   (1) 2009-10   (1) 
			 DfE notional audit fees 300,000 318,400 320,000 
			 British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (BECTA) 27,000 55,000 68,000 
			 Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS) 57,000 52,000 60,000 
			 Children's. Workforce and Development Council (CWDC) (2)25,000 48,000 53,000 
			 National College for Leadership of Schools and Children's Services (NCSL) 44,000 55,000 55,000 
			 Office of the Children's Commissioner (OCC) 22,000 25,000 25,000 
			 Partnerships for Schools (PfS) (3)21,500 (3)31,700 45,500 
			 Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency (QC DA) 58,000 62,000 63,000 
			 Schools Food Trust (SfT) 20,000 26,500 30,000 
			 Training Development Agency (TDA) 40,000 51,000 75,000 
			 General Teaching Council for England (GTCE) 26,000 31,000 31,000 
			 Total 640,500 755,600 825,500 
			 (1) There was some additional work in 2008-09 and 2009-10 in relation to the audit of restatement of some figures to move from UK accounting principals to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). (2) In 2007-08, the CWDC was a grant-funded private company being turned into a non-departmental public body. The 2007-08 is therefore a prior year comparator. (3)The audit fees paid by PfS in 2007-08 and 2008-09 were paid to PKF. All other fees were paid to National Audit Office.

Departmental Manpower

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many staff in his Department were in the civil service redeployment pool on the latest date for which figures are available; and how many of these had been in the redeployment pool for more than six months at that date.

Tim Loughton: On 2 March there were 32 staff in the Department’s redeployment pool. Of these eight have been part of our redeployment pool for six months or more (though two are currently absent from work). This figure includes 17 individuals who were TUPE transferred into the Department on 1 March as a result of the closure of the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (BECTA).
	All individuals without permanent posts are fully and actively engaged in work while part of the redeployment pool, on either key projects or short-term business priorities. These individuals are known as ‘Priority Movers’ and are given first access to vacant posts and other support to find suitable permanent posts.

Departmental Regulation

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what regulations his Department introduced between 30 November 2010 and 8 February 2011.

Tim Loughton: In the period 30 November 2010 to 8 February 2011:
	the Education Bill was introduced into Parliament;
	two statutory instruments made before 30 November came into force, as follows:
	
		
			 Title Made Laid In force 
			 The Education (School Attendance Targets) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2010 25 November 2010 2 December 2010 23 December 2010 
			 The Harbour School (Amendment) Order 2010 16 November 2010 25 November 2010 15 December 2010 
		
	
	six statutory instruments were made and came into force, as follows:
	
		
			 Title Made Laid In force 
			 The Children and Young Persons Act 2008 (Commencement No. 3, Saving and Transitional Provisions) Order 2010 15 December 2010 n/a 16 December 2010 
			 The Academies Act 2010 (Commencement and Transitional Provisions) (Amendment) Order 2010 22 December 2010 n/a 22 December 2010 
			 The Education and Skills Act 2008 (Commencement No. 7 and Transitory Provisions) Order 2010 7 December 2010 n/a 1 January 2011 
			 The Education (Independent Educational Provision in England) (Unsuitable Persons) (Amendment) Regulations 2010 7 December 2010 10 December 2010 1 January 2011 
			 The Education (Independent Educational Provision in England) (Provision of Information) Regulations 2010 7 December 2010 10 December 2010 1 January 2011 
			 The Education (Local Authority and School Performance Targets) (Revocation and Amendment) (England) Regulations 2010 20 December 2010 29 December 2010 30 January 2011 
		
	
	two statutory instruments were made and will come into force after 8 February:
	
		
			 Title Made Laid In force 
			 The Education (School Day and School Year) (England)-Regulations 2011 26 January 2011 2 February 2011 25 February 2011 
			 The School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions (Amendment) Order 2011 31 January 2011 4 February 2011 25 February 2011

Departmental Regulation

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many regulations sponsored by his Department have been (a) introduced and (b) revoked since 12 November 2010.

Tim Loughton: In the period 12 November 2010 to 2 March 2011, the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), (a) made 13 statutory instruments which came into force during the same period; and (b) revoked 14 statutory instruments or significant parts of statutory instruments, although in some cases the content of the revoked instrument has been largely replaced. The only Bill introduced during that period was the Education Bill.

Departmental Security

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which persons not employed by Government Departments or agencies hold passes entitling them to enter his Department’s premises.

Tim Loughton: Passes may be issued to those who are required to make frequent visits to specific Government sites, subject to the usual security checks. For security reasons it would not be appropriate to provide details of individuals who hold such passes.

Drugs: Education

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much funding his Department has allocated for drugs education in 2010-11.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 11 February 2011
	The Government are committed to reducing substance misuse among young people, including drugs, alcohol and volatile substances. Education on these substances is a vital element of the current approach.
	The Department does not provide ring-fenced funding for schools’ drug education lessons which schools provide. It is for local authorities and schools to decide how to fund drug education within the overall resources available to them. Drug education ceased to be paid via the ring-fenced standards fund from April 2004.
	For 2011-12, we are protecting school funding in the system at flat cash per pupil and have set a minimum funding guarantee so that no school will see a reduction compared with its 2010-11 budget (excluding sixth form funding) of more than 1.5% per pupil before the pupil premium is applied. The pupil premium is in addition to schools’ budgets. The level of the premium will be £430 per pupil and will be the same for every deprived pupil, no matter where they live.

Drugs: Education

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he plans to announce his Department’s budget for the FRANK service for 2011-12.

Sarah Teather: The Government Drug Strategy, published in December 2010, made the commitment that, through the FRANK service, everyone, at any age, will have accurate and reliable information on the effects and harms of drugs, including new substances. It said that they will be able to access advice, information and support if they, their children, or someone they know is at risk of drug misuse. The three sponsor Departments for the FRANK service (Department for Education, Home Office and Department of Health) will collaborate to ensure that these commitments are met in the most cost-effective way possible.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to monitor the effects of discontinuing the payment of education maintenance allowance on take-up rates of post-16 education (a) nationally and (b) in each individual local authority areas.

Nick Gibb: We are considering the replacement for the education maintenance allowance and want to ensure that the funds we have are targeted on those young people who most need support to enable them to participate in education.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what financial assistance other than the education maintenance allowance his Department provides to students before they reach further education.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has policy responsibility for students in schools and further education and training up to the age of 18 (or 25 for students with a learning difficulty or disability). For young people aged 16 to 18 in publicly funded further education (that is, in schools, colleges or other training prior to higher education), the Department provides a range of support including through:
	The Care to Learn scheme which provides assistance for child care and related transport costs to enable young parents with responsibility for caring for their child to attend education or training. The scheme provides support of up to £160 a week (£175 in London). Child care costs are paid direct to the provider of child care.
	Discretionary learner support funding is provided so that education and training providers can target financial help to students who they assess as having need of it in order to stay in education. Assistance may be provided in the form of goods or services, for example specialist equipment needed for the particular course, or through cash grants.
	Additional learner support funds are also provided to education institutions and further education providers for the purpose of meeting the additional educational support needs that may be required for young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and other vulnerable groups.

Education Maintenance Allowance

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many people applied for education maintenance allowance between 1 October and 1 January in each academic year since 2004.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 3 March  2011 
	This is a matter for the Young People’s Learning Agency (YPLA) who operate the education maintenance allowance for the Department for Education. Peter Lauener, the YPLA’s
	chief executive, has written to the hon. Member for Glasgow North West (John Robertson) with the information requested and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Libraries.
	Letter from Peter Lauener, dated 7 March 2011
	I am writing in response to your Parliamentary Question PQ43911 that asked:
	"How many people applied for education maintenance allowance between 1 October 2010 and 1 January 2011; and how many such applications were made in the same period since 2004."
	The number of applications for Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) that were recorded between 1 October and 1 January for each year since inception is shown below.
	
		
			 Academic year Applications 
			 2010/11 76,874 
			 2009/10 90,919 
			 2008/09 44,186 
			 2007/08 77,273 
			 2006/07 78,524 
			 2005/06 95,273 
			 2004/05 59,521 
		
	
	EMA take-up data showing the number of young people who have received one or more EMA payments during 2004/05, 2005/06, 2006/07, 2007/08, 2008/09 and 2009/10 is available on the YPLA website, at the following address;
	http://ema.ypla.gov.uk/resources/research/takeup/

Education Maintenance Allowance: Free School Meals

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of recipients of the education maintenance allowance received free school meals in each of the last three years.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 10 February 2011
	No information is held on the proportion of recipients of the education maintenance allowance who also received free school meals.

Electoral Reform Services

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the monetary value was of contracts his Department placed with Electoral Reform Services in each year since 2005.

Tim Loughton: The Department’s central contract records show that it does not hold any current contracts with the Electoral Reform Services. However, a search of our finance system has shown that payments totalling £670,000 were made between March and July 2005. To find out the monetary value of this contract would incur disproportionate costs.

Food: Procurement

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he expects his Department to meet the Government’s commitment to source food that meets British or equivalent standards of production.

Tim Loughton: The Department for Education is already fully committed to sourcing food that meets British or equivalent standards of production.
	Products are sourced from suppliers and companies that either hold certification to the higher British Retail Consortium global food safety standards or their equivalents. Also supply of chilled meat and poultry is all Red Tractor Farm assured.
	The only exception is procurement of bacon on cost grounds in line with the commitment that the Government would
	“ensure that food procured by government departments meets British standards of production wherever this can be achieved without increasing overall cost.”

Foster Care

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will bring forward proposals to amend the law relating to those seeking to become foster parents to enable people to foster children regardless of their religious views.

Tim Loughton: The statutory framework for foster care does not prevent a person holding any particular religious views from becoming a foster carer. Revised National Minimum Standards for Fostering Services coming into force on 1 April make clear that anyone interested in becoming a foster carer should be treated fairly, without prejudice, openly and with respect.
	However, the needs of children must be paramount. A fostering service, when deciding if a person is suitable to foster, should consider the person’s capacity to care for children with complex needs (who may be from diverse backgrounds) and to put the child’s needs first.

Free Schools

Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what factors he takes into consideration when determining whether the proposed location of a free school will have a detrimental effect on admissions to existing schools in the locality.

Nick Gibb: The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), has a duty under section 9 of the Academies Act 2010 to consider what impact establishing an additional school would have on existing maintained schools, academies and further education institutions before entering into an academy arrangement for a free school. When exercising this duty, the Secretary of State takes account of a number of factors including the effect on local provision in terms of choice and standards, and any representations made by the relevant local authority, local schools and further education colleges.

Free Schools

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which organisations have expressed an interest in establishing a free school for people aged 16 to 19 years only; and where he expects each such school to open.

Nick Gibb: As at 3 February 2011, the Department has received 10 proposals to establish free schools specifically for 16 to 19-year-olds. Six of these proposals are currently being considered by officials and four have been informed that their proposals have been unsuccessful. Of the six proposals under consideration, the proposers plan to open schools in the following local authority areas:
	Brighton and Hove
	Devon
	Dudley
	Kent
	Milton Keynes
	Warwickshire

Free Schools

Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many proposals for free schools he has received from (a) Totnes constituency, (b) the South West and (c) England.

Nick Gibb: As at 25 February 2011, we have received one proposal from the Totnes constituency, 29 proposals from the South West region, and a total of 329 for England.

Further Education

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent steps the Government has taken to encourage young people to undertake further education.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 28 February 2011
	The Government have made a clear commitment to raising the participation age to 17 in 2013 and 18 in 2015. This includes a major commitment in the spending review of October 2010 to fund sufficient education and training places. In addition, we are simplifying the post-16 commissioning system to free providers from red tape, introducing a funding system based on “lagged” student numbers that will ensure that funding follows students’ choices, and continuing the process of ensuring that all 16 to 17-year-olds receive a suitable offer of a place in education or training to help match supply and demand. The Government are also ending the disparity between post-16 funding between schools and colleges. We are giving schools responsibility for careers guidance at Key Stages 3 and 4 to ensure that it is fully tailored to young people’s needs. Local authorities retain their statutory duty to encourage and enable young people to participate in education and training.
	There is also a strong demand for Apprenticeship places and the Government are committed to significant growth in the programme.

Health Education: Sex

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  if he will bring forward proposals to require (a) schools to inform parents of the content of sex education lessons and (b) parents to opt in to such lessons;
	(2)  if he will bring forward proposals to require primary schools to inform school governors of the teaching materials used in sex education lessons;
	(3)  what requirements his Department places on primary schools in respect of the teaching of sex education; and if he will bring forward proposals to require the suppliers of teaching materials for sex education lessons to be licensed.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 3 March 2011
	School governing bodies have a statutory responsibility to ensure that schools have a policy for teaching about sex education
	which, as a minimum, should provide information about how sex education will be provided, any sensitive issues that will be covered and who will provide it. The policy must be made available to parents on request and must include information about parents' right to withdraw their children from sex and relationships (SRE) provided outside the national curriculum.
	We believe it is important that all children have access to high quality SRE so they can make wise and informed choices. Those parents who do not believe that their children are ready to receive SRE at school, or who want to provide it themselves are able to withdraw their children from SRE lessons.
	Members of school governing bodies are already responsible for deciding what information the school should make available to them. It is therefore not necessary to require schools to inform school governors of the teaching material used in sex education. In practice this will already happen as part of the governing body's statutory responsibility to have a sex education policy.
	When providing sex education all schools must have regard to guidance issued by the Secretary of State published in 2000. This is designed to secure that pupils receiving sex education learn about the nature of marriage and its importance for family life and the upbringing of children. Furthermore, it is designed to protect pupils from teaching and materials which are inappropriate having regard to the age and religious and cultural background of the pupils concerned.
	The guidance provides information about how schools can set in place arrangements to protect pupils from inappropriate teaching and materials. The guidance can be viewed at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/publications/standard/publicationdetail/page1/DfES%200116%202000
	We believe it is important that teachers have good quality teaching material to support them in providing sex education, but that they should have the flexibility to use their own professional judgment in deciding such matters, taking account of the guidance, the needs of pupils and the ethos of the school. We have no plans, therefore, to require the suppliers of teaching materials for sex education to be licensed.

Higher Education: Fees and Charges

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether all higher education institutions charging more than £6,000 in annual tuition fees will be eligible to join the National Scholarship Scheme from 2012.

Nick Gibb: I refer the hon. Member for Bolton North East to the reply given by the Minister of State for Universities and Science, my right hon. Friend the Member for Havant (Mr Willetts), on 16 February 2011, Official Report, columns 876-77W.

Holocaust Educational Trust

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he has made an assessment of the effects of the Holocaust Educational Trust's Lessons from Auschwitz project.

Nick Gibb: This Department has not carried out any formal assessment on the effects of the Holocaust Educational Trust’s (HET) Lessons from Auschwitz (LFA) project, but officials regularly meet with HET to discuss the progress of the project. HET did commission the Institute of Education to carry out an evaluation of the LFA project in 2009, which sampled five LFA regions which took part in the project in the spring and summer of 2009. Among the key findings were that 98% of participants assessed the project as excellent and 2% as good, and 74% of teachers either agreed or strongly agreed that participation in the project had positively impacted on the school’s teaching and learning about the Holocaust. Over 6,200 students and 1,700 teachers in England have participated in the project since it began in 1999.

Ilkley School

Kris Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he plans to visit Ilkley grammar school in Keighley constituency.

Nick Gibb: An official will contact Ilkley grammar school with a suggested date in due course.

International Baccalaureate

Steven Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will assess the merits of broadening the scope of the English Baccalaureate to include (a) philosophy, (b) economics, (c) religious studies and (d) other humanities subjects.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 28 February 2011
	We are concerned that the number of pupils, especially those in disadvantaged areas, who receive a broad education in core academic subjects is far too small. Through the introduction of the English Baccalaureate, we want to encourage more pupils to take these core subjects and to bring about greater fairness of opportunity.
	The English Baccalaureate is not intended to include all the subjects worthy of study. We recognise that study in other subjects will be just as valuable to pupils and we will encourage all pupils to study non-English Baccalaureate subjects alongside the English Baccalaureate in order to benefit from a well-rounded education. This is why we have kept the number of core subjects in the English Baccalaureate small enough to allow wider study. Subjects, such as religious studies, philosophy, and economics, which do not count towards the English Baccalaureate, can and will play a part in a well rounded, rigorous education. Achievement in these subjects will continue to be recognised in the performance tables as part of the A*-C measure and the teaching of religious education remains compulsory throughout a pupil’s schooling. However we remain open to arguments about how we can further improve every measure in the performance tables—including the English Baccalaureate.

Languages: Teachers

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he has plans to increase the number of language teachers in primary and secondary schools.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 14 February 2011
	The Secretary of State for Education wrote to the Training and Development Agency for Schools on 31 January with the details of the initial teacher training place allocations and training bursary amounts for academic year 2011/12. Despite falling secondary pupil rolls and reductions in the secondary allocation overall, the secondary language place allocation has been protected with 100 more places than the previous year to take account of the introduction of the English Baccalaureate. Future year allocations will continue to take account of the English Baccalaureate and other policy developments. We are also maintaining the training bursary level for modern foreign languages at £6,000 in 2011/12 to help with recruitment.
	The Schools White Paper 2010, The Importance of Teaching, sets out the Government’s commitment to attract more of the best graduates in shortage subjects, including modern foreign languages, into teaching. We will publish a strategy document for discussion later this year setting out our plans for funding initial teacher training from academic year 2012/13.
	We are currently considering the funding and support structures that might best be used to improve language teaching in schools, including the primary school workforce.

Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether his Department has set a timetable for its internal review of personal, social, health and economic education.

Nick Gibb: The Department is considering the precise remit for its internal review of Personal, Social, Health and Economic education and has not yet set a timetable. Further information about the review, including a proposed timetable will be available in due course.

Pupils: Disadvantaged

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much he expects to allocate to Warrington local authority area under his plans for the pupil premium in the year 2011-12.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 11 February 2011
	The January 2010 school censuses allow an estimate of the number of pupils known to be eligible for FSM or to be looked-after children to be made.
	In Warrington in January 2010 there were 3,610 pupils known to be eligible, which would give rise to a pupil premium of £1,552,300. In addition to this there were 10 pupils known to be eligible for the service child premium, paid at a lower rate of £200 per pupil, which would give rise to a further £2,000. However, these are estimates only.

Residential Schools: Finance

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what funding his Department provided to residential schools to cover the costs of meeting the mobility needs of pupils when participating in community activities as set out in Article 31 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  what funding his Department provided to residential schools to cover the costs of meeting the mobility needs of pupils spending time with their families at weekends in the latest period for which figures are available.

Nick Gibb: There are no specific funds provided by the Department to residential schools for meeting the cost of mobility needs of children. From April, education services are funded through the dedicated schools grant and the local government finance scheme. It is for local authorities to decide on how those resources are allocated, including in respect of children whom they fund in residential schools. Capital funding is also provided by this Department to local authorities and to schools which can be used to provide facilities that meet mobility needs where this is the local priority. We are currently reviewing the schools funding system and this will include a review of the funding for children with special education needs and disability.

Schools: Buildings

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools or school buildings his Department estimates will be built using prefabricated or flatpack buildings in 2010-11.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 1 March 2011
	The Department for Education does not hold data on how many schools or school buildings will be built using prefabricated or flatpack buildings in 2010-11.

Schools: Finance

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he expects to announce the allocation of the Targeted Improvement Grant for local authorities.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 11 February 2011
	The Local Authority Targeted Intervention Grant will cease at the end of the 2010-11 financial year. The 2010-11 allocation was £16.1 million.
	On 3 November 2010, the Government announced a new £110 million Education Endowment Fund (the EEF), focused on raising the attainment of disadvantaged pupils in underperforming schools. Local authorities, schools, voluntary and community sector organisations, charities and social enterprises will be able to bid to the Fund for resources to test out bold and innovative approaches focused on disadvantaged pupils.

Schools: Leeds

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the requirement for building repairs in schools in Leeds North West constituency; and what estimate has been made of the cost of repair in each such case.

Nick Gibb: The Department has made no assessment of the requirement and cost of building repairs in schools in Leeds North West. It is the responsibility of each local authority to assess the building requirements of the schools in its area and prioritise the available resources.

Schools: Sports

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 21 December 2010, Official Report, column 1245W, on school sport partnerships: finance, 
	(1)  whether his Department made an assessment of the capacity of partnership development managers to co-ordinate voluntary sports club work with local schools prior to its decision to end funding for school sport partnerships;
	(2)  whether his Department took account of the economies of scale for schools arising from school sport partnerships prior to (a) the decision to end funding of such partnerships and (b) the review of that decision;
	(3)  whether his Department made an assessment of the capacity of school sport partnerships to co-ordinate the work of national governing bodies of sport with schools in a local area prior to his decision to end funding for school sport partnerships from April 2011.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 20 January 2011
	The Government have protected the schools budget in the recent spending review, at a time when cutting the national deficit is an urgent national priority. We trust schools to take their own financial decisions when planning a truly rounded education including physical education and competitive sport. Many schools have said that they value the work of school sport partnerships, and so—under the freedoms given to school leaders by this Government—those schools will be able to continue to work in partnerships, if they wish.
	DCMS through Sport England is continuing to invest in national governing bodies of sport to ensure that strong links between schools and community sport clubs are developed and retained. In addition, Sport England is committing up to £35.5 million of lottery funding from now to 2014/15 towards a new ‘School Games’ to encourage greater participation in competitive sport, and to which every school will be invited to sign up.

Schools: Sports

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of funding to support participation in school games by pupils in primary schools which will be allocated to each region in each of the next two years.

Tim Loughton: The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), is making available £65 million of new funding for schools in England to enable them to provide more opportunities for competitive sport. This funding will cover school years 2011/12 and 2012/13 and will pay for one day a week of a secondary PE teacher’s time to be spent out of the classroom, encouraging greater take-up of competitive sport in primary schools and securing a fixture network for schools to increase the amount of intra and inter-school sporting competition. The Department will be writing to schools later this year to provide further details about this funding.
	In addition, the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), recently announced
	outline plans for a network of school games organisers in England from September 2011. These organisers will be funded for three days a week to help schools sign up for the nationwide school games. Further details of these organiser posts and their precise roles will be announced shortly.

Schools: Sports

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for (a) Communities and Local Government and (b) Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport on the use of sports and leisure facilities at (i) primary, (ii) secondary and (iii) specialist sports schools and colleges by local communities.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 28 February 2011
	I usually have weekly meetings with the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), about the school games. Discussion at these meetings covers a wide range of issues, of interest to both Departments.
	Schools can choose to offer extended services, which can include making sports and leisure facilities available to their local communities. Extended services often take place outside of normal school hours and can also include access to child care, sports or cultural activities and support for learning.
	In the Schools White Paper “The Importance of Teaching” published in November 2010, we said we will rely on schools to work together with voluntary, business and statutory agencies to create an environment where every child can learn, and can experience new and challenging opportunities through extended services.
	The comprehensive spending review 2010 announced that the amount of extended services funding currently provided through the Department’s standards fund will form part of the overall schools revenue baseline from April 2011. Schools will have freedom and flexibility to spend their budgets to support their pupils in the ways they judge best.
	The Department has published information about extended services, which can be found at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/popularquestions/schools/typesofschools/extendedschools/a005585/what-are-extended-services

Schools: Transport

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make it his policy that children on transport provided for school travel purposes must be accompanied by a supervisor travelling in each vehicle.

Nick Gibb: Sections 508B and 508C of the Education Act 1996 place a duty on local authorities to ensure that suitable travel arrangements are made, where necessary, to facilitate a child's attendance at school. These arrangements may include being accompanied by a supervising adult. However, the Government believe that local authorities, having taken account of the individual needs of the child and local circumstances, are best placed to determine whether a supervising adult should be provided.

Schools: Transport

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the terms of reference are for the review of school transport including transport for 16 to 18 year olds; and when he expects the review to be completed.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 28 February 2011
	Home to school transport policy has remained largely unchanged since the 1944 Act when the social, economic and education environment was very different. The Department is considering home to school transport and in particular how best practice can be spread to all local authorities. We will make further announcements in due course.

Schools: Vocational Guidance

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what requirement his Department places on schools to provide careers education and guidance; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 8 March 2011
	Through the Education Bill schools will be placed under a new duty to secure access to independent, impartial careers guidance for all pupils aged 13 to 16. Schools will be free to determine how best to fulfil this duty based on the needs of their pupils but the careers guidance must include information on 16 to 18 education or training options, including Apprenticeships.
	As the Education Bill makes its way through Parliament, we will remind schools of the importance of offering the broad range of activities encompassed within the term ‘careers education’ to prepare pupils for future learning. This will help to place careers guidance in context and support the development of decision making and career management skills for all young people.

Teachers: Conditions of Employment

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make it his policy to provide that learning activities outside the classroom are not affected by the requirement that teachers rarely cover for absent colleagues; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: It is the Government’s intention to provide schools with greater freedoms and flexibilities.
	We trust schools to make sensible decisions about opportunities for education outside the classroom through forward planning and careful scheduling of these activities. Where this happens, the rarely cover provisions should not prove to be an obstacle to children being able to learn outside the classroom.

Teachers: Professional Development

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his policy is on continuing professional development for the teaching profession.

Nick Gibb: We are committed to encouraging schools to demonstrate a strong culture of professional development where teachers take responsibility for leading their own and others’ development and by sharing effective practice
	within schools and between schools. The White Paper “The Importance of Teaching”, published on 24 November, outlined our approach.
	We will create a new national network of Teaching Schools, building on the good work of existing Training Schools and National Teaching Schools—over 800 have applied already. These outstanding schools will be responsible for leading the training and professional development of teachers and head teachers so that schools can have access to highly effective professional development support.
	A new competitive Scholarship Fund will be introduced this year to provide opportunities for teachers to deepen and enhance their subject knowledge, so that they are seen, alongside university academics, as the guardians of the intellectual life of the nation.
	We will also review the proliferation of existing teacher standards to ensure that our expectations of teachers are clear, making it easier to assess teacher performance and encourage professional development.

Teachers: Recruitment

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to ensure the teaching profession attracts and retains high-quality candidates.

Nick Gibb: Our plans for ensuring that the teaching profession attracts and retains high quality teachers are contained in The Schools White Paper 2010 ‘The Importance of Teaching’.
	We will raise the quality of new entrants to the teaching profession by ceasing to provide Department for Education funding for initial teacher training for those graduates who do not have at least a 2:2 degree, expanding Teach First across the country and into primary schools, offering financial incentives to attract more of the very best graduates in shortage subjects into teaching and enabling more talented career changers to become teachers by creating new employment based training programmes.
	We will also reform initial teacher training so that more training is on the job and it focuses on key skills such as teaching early reading and mathematics, managing behaviour and responding to pupil's special educational needs.
	We will also remove some of the negatives that have tended to keep people out of teaching. We will be tacking bureaucracy at source, stripping out unnecessary obligations, simplifying inspections, giving heads the power to ensure discipline and good behaviour in the classroom and ensuring that schools have flexibility over pay, so they can reward teachers appropriately.

Teachers: Training

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education by what date he expects to have determined teacher training allocations for the 2011-12 academic year.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 21 January 2011
	The Secretary of State for Education wrote to the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) on 31 January 2011 to notify them of the national initial teacher
	training place allocations for academic year 2011/12. The TDA has now given initial teacher training providers the details of their individual allocations for that period.

Teachers: Training

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  how many information and communication technologies PGCE students in (a) England and (b) the west midlands received funding from the further education initial teacher training bursary in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many history PGCE students in (a) England and (b) the west midlands received funding from the further education initial teacher training bursary in each of the last five years;
	(3)  how many PGCE students in (a) England and (b) the west midlands received funding from the further education initial teacher training bursary in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The requested information is not collected centrally. The available information relates to the number of trainees who were potentially eligible for training bursaries. The table provides this information for postgraduate trainees in the first year of History, ICT and overall initial teacher training (ITT) mainstream courses in the west midlands and England
	
		
			 Number of postgraduate first year trainees eligible for bursary by selected subject and region. Years: 2006/07 to 2010/11   ,Coverage: west midlands and England 
			  2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 
			 West midlands       
			 History 95 80 70 75 70 
			 ICT 175 115 110 125 120 
			 Total primary and secondary 2,470 2,300 2,250 2,585 2,595 
			       
			 England       
			 History 725 675 625 585 520 
			 ICT 910 815 780 835 860 
			 Total primary and secondary 24,540 23,550 23,435 24,965 24,375 
			 Notes: 1. Numbers rounded to nearest five. 2. ICT numbers include Applied ICT. Source: TDA Trainee Number Census

Teachers: Training

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he plans to provide replacement arrangements for services no longer provided by the Training and Development Agency.

Nick Gibb: As part of our work to ensure that we are able to achieve the Department’s policy priorities and as part of the Public Bodies Review, we looked at the key functions and programmes carried out by the Training and Development Agency (TDA) and other departmental organisations. We tested the potential for strengthened accountability to Parliament, greater value for money and reduced bureaucracy, In the case of the TDA, and subject to legislation, we decided that the key functions will transfer to the Department for Education, where they will be exercised by an executive agency that is directly accountable to Ministers.

Think Family Scheme: Finance

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what funding his Department allocated to the Think Family scheme in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11.

Tim Loughton: The Department allocated £94.1 million for the Think Family Grant in 2010-11. This was the first year Think Family Grant funding was allocated.

Three Valleys Independent Academy

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  how many representations from parents supporting the establishment of a Three Valleys Independent Academy in Rotherham his Department has received;
	(2)  if he will place in the Library a copy of each item of correspondence his Department has received in support of a Three Valleys Independent Academy in Rotherham.

Nick Gibb: As part of their proposal, the Nationwide Independent College of Higher Education provided the Department with representations from 423 supporters. 219 are parents who have indicated that they would consider sending their children to the proposed Three Valleys Independent Academy.
	The majority of these representations are as part of a petition or short standard statement of support, and we regard them as made in confidence to the proposer.

Vocational Guidance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of geographical variation in the (a) quality and (b) availability of careers advice and guidance.

Nick Gibb: Evidence suggests that Connexions services are not consistently providing high quality careers guidance to young people. The Ofsted report “Moving Through The System”, published in March 2010, reported that there was considerable variability in the quality of information, advice and guidance provided. In a 2010 survey by the Edge Foundation, 51% of young people reported that information, advice and guidance is not meeting their needs. The Government want to restore a focus on independent, professional careers guidance for young people and adults which is based on accurate labour market information and strong evidence about the impact of individuals’ decisions on their future prospects.

Vocational Guidance

Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what mechanisms he plans to put in place to ensure that common professional standards for careers and Connexions services in local authorities are maintained in (a) 2011-12 and (b) subsequent years of the comprehensive spending review period;
	(2)  what plans he has to ensure that standards of impartiality, quality and consistency of careers advice are maintained following the devolution of responsibility for commissioning such services to schools.

Nick Gibb: Alongside the establishment of an all-age careers service, schools will be required to secure access for their pupils to independent, impartial careers guidance.
	The Government are taking steps to raise the quality and profile of the careers profession, and have accepted the recommendations of the Careers Profession Task Force, set out in its report, “Towards a Strong Careers Profession”, published in October 2010. The 14 recommendations include the development of common professional standards and a code of ethics. A strong emphasis is also placed on ensuring all careers advisers receive effective initial training and continuing professional development to carry out their role. The Government are working with the Careers Profession Alliance and other sector organisations to implement these recommendations.

Written Questions: Government Responses

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he plans to answer questions (a) 34640, (b) 34641 and (c) 34651 on the establishment of an academy in Rotherham, tabled on 18 January 2011.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 15 February 2011
	A response to the right hon. Member’s question 34651 was issued on 9 March 2011, Official Report, column 1117W. Responses to the right hon. Member’s questions 34640 and 34641 have been issued today.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he plans to answer (a) question 39708, on the harnessing technology grant, and (b) question 39707, on the pupil premium, tabled on 7 February 2011 for named day answer on 10 February 2011.

Nick Gibb: A response to the hon. Member’s question 39707 was issued on 10 March 2011, Official Report, column 1238W.
	A response to the hon. Member’s question 39708 was issued on 10 March 2011, Official Report, column 1233W.

Young People: Protection

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many people aged 16 and 17 years were accepted by local authorities as being owed a duty under section 20 of the Children Act 1989 in each quarter since Q1 2009.

Tim Loughton: The number of people aged 16 and 17 years who were accepted by local authorities as being owed a duty under section 20 of the Children Act 1989 in each quarter since Q1 2009, is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Children who started to be looked after under section 20 during the year, aged 16 and 17 by the quarter in which they started   (1,2,3)   . Year ending 31 March 2010   ,Coverage: England 
			  Number 
			 All children aged 16 and 17 who started during the year 3,000 
			 Quarter   
			 1 April to 30 June 2009 620 
			 1 July to 30 September 2009 860 
			 1 October to 31 December 2009 760 
			 1 January to 31 March 2010 730 
			 (1) Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 100 if they exceed 1,000, and to the nearest 10, otherwise. (2) Only the first occasion on which a child started to be looked after in the year has been counted. Consequently, if a child started more than one period of care, each in a different quarter, he/she has only been counted in the earlier quarter. (3) Figures exclude children looked after under an agreed series of short-term placements. Source: SSDA 903

Youth Crime Action Plan: Finance

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what funding his Department allocated to the Youth Crime Action Plan in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11.

Tim Loughton: The then Department for Children, Schools and Families allocated the following funding for the Youth Crime Action Plan:
	
		
			  Funding allocated (£ million) 
			 2008-09 8.600 
			 2009-10 23.000 
			 2010-11 (1)28.000 
			 (1 )The ring-fence on this funding was removed in June 2010.

Youth Opportunity Fund: Finance

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what funding his Department allocated to the Youth Opportunity Fund in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11.

Tim Loughton: Table 1 shows the allocations made nationally by the Department for the Youth Opportunity Fund in these three years.
	
		
			 Table 1: Youth Opportunity Fund 
			  £ million 
			 2008-09 35.75 
			 2009-10 40.75 
			 2010-11 40.75

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan: Drugs

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the level of narcotics production in Afghanistan.

William Hague: The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)’s most recent Annual Opium Survey, published in December 2010, reported that the potential opium production in Afghanistan was 3,600 metric tonnes, down from 6,900 metric tonnes in 2009. The UNODC has predicted a slight fall in poppy cultivation in 2011 from last year’s level of 123,000 hectares—though it should be stressed that this is indicative only.
	The UNODC Cannabis Survey of April 2010 estimated cannabis cultivation at between 10,000-24,000 hectares and cannabis resin production at between 1,500-3,500 metric tonnes. We await publication of UNODC’s latest cannabis survey, due in April 2011.

Afghanistan: Politics and Government

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his US counterpart on the appointment of a US special representative to Afghanistan.

William Hague: The appointment of a US special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan was a decision that the US alone made. In my statement on 19 February, following the announcement by the US Secretary of State, I welcomed Mr Grossman's appointment. I look forward to working closely with him and continuing our cooperation on this important foreign policy area.

Arms Trade: Treaties

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what dates he expects to participate in meetings at the UN to discuss the proposed International Arms Trade Treaty.

William Hague: Participation in UN meetings on the Arms Trade Treaty is undertaken at official level. Our delegation is led, at senior official level, by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and contains representatives from other Government Departments. The latest Arms Trade Treaty Preparatory Committee meeting took place at the UN in New York from 28 February 2011 to 4 March 2011. The UK continued to play a leading role in negotiations, and good progress was made at the meeting.
	The next Preparatory Committee meeting will take place from 11 to 15 July 2011. This will be followed, in 2012, by a further Preparatory Committee meeting dealing with procedural matters for the Diplomatic Conference later that year. The exact dates of these meetings have yet to be confirmed. We remain committed to securing a robust and effective Arms Trade Treaty.

Departmental Land

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps to reduce the size of his Department’s estate; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) constantly reviews its global estate in the light of changing operational needs to optimise the use of its property assets. As a consequence the FCO regularly acquires and disposes of its property assets. In 2009 the Treasury set the FCO an asset sales target of £25 million for the financial years 2010-11.
	Between 2011-12 and 2013-14 we have identified 71 potentially redundant properties for disposal with a total book value of £131.25 million. In order to maximise the price received for the sale of our assets, it is not our policy to provide exact details of our sales programme, nor the price we expect to receive in advance of formal marketing.
	Details of sales completed are reported quarterly to the Foreign Affairs Committee. Book value for each property is based on value as assessed by independent chartered surveyors commissioned to undertake the rolling programme of revaluations.
	In the UK we are working with the Government Property Unit to ensure our Whitehall offices are of a size to meet best practice.

Departmental Procurement

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which procurement projects engaged upon by (a) his Department and (b) each non-departmental public body and agency for which he is responsible had a designated senior responsible owner in the latest period for which figures are available; and on what date each officer was appointed in each such case.

Alistair Burt: The following table lists projects and their senior responsible owners (SRO), where this information is available.
	
		
			 Department Project SRO appointment 
			 Foreign and Commonwealth Office Diplomatic Bag 18 November 2010 
			  Passport Secure Delivery 15 December 2009 
			  Fortress IV - High Classification system 1 December 2010 
			  Overseas Standard IT 1 October 2010 
			  Echo (global voice and data services) May 2009 
			  Conrad (Consular assistance systems) 14 January 2011 
		
	
	
		
			  Legalisation System Improvement Project 21 January 2011 
			  BRIT 2—Passports 1 October 2009 
			  Minerva 29 July 2010 
			  Arcane—High Class System 1 October 2011 
			  eDisclosure—Scope 23 February 2011 
			    
			 British Council Books and Multimedia Tender 11 September 2009 
			  Career Transition Support 3 July 2009 
			  COLA and Location Allowance contract 28 January2009 
			  Cultural Relations through Sport Services 6 August 2009 
			  Education UK—Content and Print 9 July 2009 
			  Fundraising for Skills for Employability 14 December 2009 
			  Global HR Transformation—e-HR 25 August 2009 
			  Global Innovation Lab 22 January 2010 
			  GPC3 Framework 4 December 2009 
			  Ground Transportation Project 29 April 2009 
			  Justice Sector Development Programme 13 July 2009 
			  Legal services 19 January 2010 
			  Market Research Roster 4 January 2010 
			  Going Global 18 November 2009 
			  Security Services 11 February 2010 
			  Selector Radio—production 18 August 2010 
			  Graphic design services 27 December 2009 
			  Legal services 29 January2010 
			  Audio Visual services 21 July 2010 
			  Working with Major Donors 15 December2009 
			  European Voluntary Service Training Provision 8 September 2010 
		
	
	Projects are generally devolved to directorates and a full list where an SRO has been appointed could be obtained only at disproportionate costs.

France: Anti-Semitism

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on prosecutions for anti-Semitic comments in France; what recent discussions he has had with the Government of France on levels of anti-Semitism in France; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: The French Government do not record prosecutions for anti-Semitic acts separately from other forms of discrimination. We have not had any recent discussions with France on the levels of anti-Semitism in France. The UK is committed to fighting discrimination and intolerance. We have recently published the Government’s first progress update report on our work to take forward the recommendations of the 2006 All-Party Parliamentary Inquiry into Anti-Semitism.

Human Trafficking

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contribution his Department has made to the Government’s review of human trafficking.

Jeremy Browne: Combating human trafficking is a key Government priority, as made clear in the coalition programme for Government. Officials from my Department have contributed to the review, led by the Home Office, into the Government’s approach to work on human trafficking, and are contributing to the development of the new human trafficking strategy. I sit on the Inter-Departmental Ministerial Group on Human Trafficking, which will follow closely the strategy’s implementation.

Israel: Arrests

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to his Israeli counterpart in relation to the arrest of Naji Tamimi on 7 March 2011.

Alistair Burt: We are aware that Naji Tamimi was arrested on 7 March during an army raid on the village and are concerned about what appears to be a rise in arrests in Nabi Saleh over the last five weeks. Staff from our consulate general in Jerusalem have also visited Nabi Saleh and met Mr Tamimi, as part of an EU delegation to the village.
	We have been following the cases of people arrested in the village, including 14-year-old Islam Tamimi. A member of our consulate general staff will be attending Mr Tamimi’s first court hearing on 13 March. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond
	(Yorks) (Mr Hague) met with non violent human rights defenders in Ramallah during his visit in November 2010.
	The UK recognises the rights of Palestinians to protest peacefully against occupation including against the illegal route of the separation wall that cuts into the west bank, often severing villages from land on which their livelihoods depend. Peaceful protests form an important element of the Palestinian Authority’s two-year plan published in August 2009. This plan was explicitly supported by the 27 member states of the European Union in the December 2009 conclusions of the EU Foreign Affairs Council.

Israel: Politics and Government

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he had with his US counterpart on the US veto of the proposed UN Security Council resolution of 18 February 2011 on Israeli settlements.

William Hague: The Government maintain close contact, at ministerial and official level, with the US Administration on the Middle East Peace Process. I discussed the resolution with the US Secretary of State in advance of the vote. The US decided to exercise their veto and set out their reasons in a statement following the vote.

Libya

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what official visits Ministers from his Department have made to Libya since 1997; and for what purpose.

Alistair Burt: Previous visits to Libya by Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Ministers since diplomatic relations were restored in 1999 include:
	The former Member for North Warwickshire, Mike O'Brien, FCO Minister of State in August 2002.
	The noble Lord Digby Jones, Minister of State jointly with the FCO and Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR), 13 May 2008.
	The former Member for Harlow, Bill Rammell, FCO Minister of State in February 2009.
	The noble Lord Malloch-Brown, FCO Minister of State in July 2009 to attend the Africa Union Summit.
	Ministers take part in regular meetings and overseas visits to discuss a range of matters with interlocutors. The last visit to Libya by a Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister was that of the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend (Mr Bellingham) in November 2010, who attended the EU-Africa Summit in Tripoli.

Libya: British Nationals Abroad

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many (a) British and (b) non-British nationals have used flights from Libya chartered by his Department.

Alistair Burt: Around 390 British nationals and 180 non-British nationals used the six flights organised by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office which departed from Tripoli for the UK.

Libya: British Nationals Abroad

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what cost his Department has incurred on chartering aircraft to Libya to evacuate British nationals to date; and how many British nationals have been evacuated by such means.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) organised six flights which departed from Tripoli. The total cost of flights chartered by the FCO was £852,738. Around 500 British nationals were evacuated by these means.
	As the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend, said in his statement on 7 March 2011, Official Report, columns 643-645, we continue to provide assistance and information for any more British nationals who decide they want to leave.

Middle East: Peace Negotiations

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the likelihood of a new Palestinian state comprising both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

Alistair Burt: The Palestinian Authority has made progress in building institutions of state. The UK has long supported the creation of a Palestinian state, but it remains unclear when this is likely to come into being.
	We continue to believe that the best way to achieve a lasting solution that delivers a sovereign, independent and contiguous Palestinian state alongside a safe and secure Israel at peace with its neighbours is through a negotiated solution. We will be doing everything we can to achieve this by September and look to both parties to return to negotiations as soon as possible on the basis of clear parameters that we set out with France and Germany on 18 February.

Middle East: Politics and Government

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department plans to review its programme spending following recent unrest in the middle east.

William Hague: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office routinely reviews its programme spending plans to ensure that funds are being used most effectively to achieve our foreign policy priorities.
	Recent events in the middle east will be considered as part of the review process.

Religious Hatred: Crimes of Violence

Paul Uppal: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to reduce the incidence of violent attacks targeted against people with a particular religious belief or ethnicity in other countries.

Jeremy Browne: We strongly support the right to freedom of religion or belief as set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights as well as the
	full implementation of the 1981 United Nations Declaration on the Elimination of all Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief.
	Our high commissions and embassies receive information on human rights, including allegations of abuse, from a wide variety of sources. These include local non-governmental organisations, human rights defenders and local media. Our high commissions and embassies use this information in their assessment of the local human rights situation, and raise allegations of human rights abuses with host Governments on a case-by-case basis. Where possible our embassies take action on individual cases where persecution or discrimination has occurred. We also lobby for changes in discriminatory practices and laws and work with host Governments to encourage intercultural and inter-religious dialogue. We condemn all instances of violence and discrimination against individuals and groups because of their faith or belief.

Russia: Immigration

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his counterpart in the Russian Federation on the entry into the UK of Russian citizens with criminal records.

David Lidington: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has held no such consultations with Foreign Minister Lavrov.

Sudan: Politics and Government

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the effects of humanitarian conditions in the Abyei region of Sudan on prospects for resolution of the status of the region.

David Lidington: We are concerned by the humanitarian impact of the recent fighting in the Abyei region. We estimate that 20,000 to 25,000 people have been displaced in the region between 27 February and 4 March due to violence. Such instability and suffering underlines the need for the Sudanese parties to find an urgent political settlement for the region.

Sudan: Politics and Government

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the burning of villages in the Abyei region of Sudan.

David Lidington: We are very concerned at the recent clashes in the Abyei region. It is essential that the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) has freedom of movement to monitor the situation on the ground. In a statement on 3 March 2011 the UN Security Council condemned the violence, underlined the urgent need for a political settlement on the status of Abyei and called on both Sudanese parties to allow full and unhindered access for UNMIS.

Sudan: Politics and Government

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received of the judgment by the Permanent Court of Arbitration on the borders of the Abyei region of Sudan.

David Lidington: The Permanent Court of Arbitration issued its judgment on the Abyei boundary on 22 July 2009. Both the National Congress Party and the Sudanese People’s Liberation Movement agreed to abide by the decision. We have received no recent reports on the judgment.

Tripoli: Embassies

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reasons he decided to close the British Embassy in Tripoli.

Alistair Burt: holding answer 9 March 2011
	As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister said in his statement to the House on 28 February 2011, the decision of when to suspend operations at our embassy in Tripoli was an important one. It was based on concerns for the safety of our staff in the light of the deteriorating security situation and our wider decision to evacuate British nationals from Libya.
	The Turkish embassy in Tripoli will look after British interests while our embassy's operations remain suspended.

HEALTH

Abortion Act 1967

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the policy of the Government is on initiating legislative proposals to amend the Abortion Act 1967; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: It is accepted parliamentary practice that proposals for changes in the law on abortion come from backbench members and that decisions are made on the basis of free votes.

Blood Transfusions

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many blood platelet transfusions there were in each region in 2010; how many units of platelets were transfused; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: The information requested is not collected. Such information as is available is as follows.
	The number of platelet transfusions carried out for patients specifically admitted to receive a blood platelet transfusion, excluding patients where this procedure was provided as part of a wider programme of treatment, is available from April 2009 to March 2010. This information is shown in the following table (verified information from April to December 2010 is not yet available). There is no information on the number of units of platelets transfused in each episode.
	
		
			 N   umber of finished consultant episodes (FCEs) where there was a main or secondary procedure or intervention of intravenous blood transfusion of platelets by Strategic Health Authority (SHA) from April 2009 to March 2010 
			 SHA of treatment Number of FCEs 
			 North East 1,345 
			 North West 3,646 
			 Yorkshire and The Humber 2,314 
		
	
	
		
			 East Midlands 1,309 
			 West Midlands 3,311 
			 East of England 3,113 
			 London 2,758 
			 South East Coast 2,027 
			 South Central 1,819 
			 South West 2,731 
			 England Total 24,373 
			 Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The NHS Information Centre for health and social care. Data represent activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector. 
		
	
	Also known is the number of units of platelets NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) issued to hospitals in England and North Wales by each NHSBT stock holding unit region. This is not the same as a SHA region, as the data are not held in that format. The information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Platelet Issues from NHSBT in 2010 
			 Region NHSBT Stock holding unit Total issues 
			 London and South East Tooting 37,364 
			 London and South East Colindale 28,469 
			 London and South East Brentwood 21,307 
			 London and South East Cambridge 10,611 
			 Midlands and South West Birmingham 26,013 
			 Midlands and South West Southampton 12,334 
			 Midlands and South West Filton 10,668 
			 Midlands and South West Oxford 9,384 
			 Midlands and South West Plymouth 3,758 
			 North Sheffield 19,802 
			 North Leeds 15,929 
			 North Manchester 15,196 
			 North Liverpool 12,871 
			 North Newcastle 11,189 
			 North Lancaster 5,217 
			 Total NHSBT  240,112 
			 Notes: 1. Date of extraction: 8 March 2010. 2. Data are shown as adult equivalent units and include neonatal, paediatric and adult units. 3. Data show units issued by NHSBT between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2010. Source: NHSBT Demand Planning Group database

Blood Transfusions: Viruses

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the NHS takes to assess the risk of patient infection by virus or bacteria in blood platelet transfusion; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: The National Health Service Blood and Transplant/Health Protection Agency joint surveillance programme monitors transfusion transmitted infections in blood and tissue donors and transfusion recipients, with the aim of protecting patient safety and public health. There have been three recorded viral transmissions from platelet transfusions since 1996, when the Serious Hazards of Transfusion scheme was established, and none since 2005.
	Bacterial contamination of platelet components is a serious, potentially life threatening, hazard of transfusion and the most common transfusion transmitted infection. Since 2002, a number of measures have been introduced to minimise this risk, including arm-cleansing to reduce contamination from the blood donor’s skin at the time of donation and diversion of the first 20-30 millilitres of the donation. In addition, screening of donated platelets for evidence of bacterial infection should be in place in England and North Wales by April 2011.
	In addition to these steps, any suspected or confirmed serious adverse reactions arising from the transfusion of blood or blood components (including viral or bacterial infection from blood platelets) must be reported to the haemovigilance unit of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.

Blood: Donors

Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to the public purse was of blood collection from donation to usage in each of the last five years.

Anne Milton: NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is a special health authority and is responsible for the provision of a reliable, efficient supply of blood, organs, tissues and stem cells to the national health service.
	The following figures are the cost of providing blood components (red cells, platelets and plasma) including support service functions from donation to the point of delivery to hospitals. As well as the number of blood units collected and the price of a unit of blood in each of the years requested, also included is the agreed blood price for 2010-11 and 2011-12.
	
		
			 Total expenditure for 2005-10 including number of blood units collected and the price of a unit of blood to hospitals 
			  Total cost  (£ million) Whole blood collection Price  (£) 
			 2005-06 310 2,039,000 131.80 
			 2006-07 297 1,971,000 130.52 
			 2007-08 309 1,927,000 133.99 
			 2008-09 338 1,974,000 139.72 
			 2009-10 346 1,982,000 133.19 
			 2010-11 (1)— (1)— 124.21 
			 2011-12 (1)— (1)— 124.85 
			 (1) Figures not yet available.  Source:  NHSBT, as at 10 March 2011. 
		
	
	Primarily the reduction in 2006-07 related to negotiated reductions in the cost of consumable items.
	The rise in 2007-08 was largely related to spend on one-off requirements such as blood safety initiatives and new equipment, as well as specific transformational projects—this was also a factor in the increases seen on 2008-09 and 2009-10 and reflects a multi-year programme of change projects designed to deliver longer term efficiency and effectiveness.
	Through a sustained programme of transformation (to be continued over the next three years) NHSBT have reduced the price hospitals are charged for blood (red cells) from £140 in 2008-09 to less than £125 today. As a result the blood price in 2014 would be lower than the price in 2005-06.

Departmental Procurement

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many procurement projects with a monetary value greater than (a) £10 million, (b) £50 million and (c) £100 million (i) his Department and (ii) each non-departmental public body and agency for which he is responsible was engaged upon in the latest period for which figures are available.

Simon Burns: The following table shows data for the Department and for the NHS Commercial Medicines Unit for the period 1 April 2010 to date:
	
		
			 Award value Type of agreement Awarding organisation Number awarded 1 April 2010 to date 
			 £10-£50 million Contract Department of Health 4 
			 £50-£100 million Contract Department of Health 1 
			 £100 million+ Contract Department of Health 0 
		
	
	Within non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) and agencies, one contract was awarded by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency of value between £10 million and £50 million in the same period. No other NDPB or agency contracts were awarded.

Departmental Procurement

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which procurement projects engaged upon by (a) his Department and (b) each non-departmental public body and agency for which he is responsible had a designated senior responsible owner in the latest period for which figures are available; and on what date each officer was appointed in each such case.

Simon Burns: This information is not held centrally. The role of senior responsible owner (SRO) is to ensure that a project or programme of change meets its objectives and delivers the planned benefits. It is the Department’s policy that an SRO will be designated for every major project in the Department and the non-departmental public bodies, and for smaller projects as appropriate.

Diabetes

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures are in place under (a) the Quality and Outcomes Framework and (b) National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence clinical standards to address the psychological well-being of diabetics.

Paul Burstow: There are no measures in place under the Quality and Outcomes Framework, however, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has published guidance on management of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Clinical guidelines (CG) 15 “Diagnosis and management of type 1 diabetes in children, young people and adults” and CG87 “the management of Type 2 diabetes”, both refer to timely psychological support.
	NHS Diabetes has worked with Diabetes UK to produce recommendations on “Emotional and psychological care for people with diabetes”. This guidance sets out the appropriate emotional and psychological care interventions for each facet of diabetes care. NHS Diabetes has also produced a Commissioning Care guide to support commissioners in commissioning these services.
	NHS Diabetes, with contributions from Diabetes UK and other stakeholders have published an exemplar patient journey to support the national service framework (NSF) for children, young people and maternity services. This sets out information on a care pathway for a child with type 1 diabetes and includes references to provision of emotional and psychological support.

Diabetes

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the reason is for the time taken for diabetics in Brighton and Hove to receive annual retinotherapy screening; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure timely delivery of this service.

Paul Burstow: The Department is providing support to primary care trusts (PCTs) that are not yet offering screening to 100% of people with diabetes to help them reach this standard.
	We are advised that NHS Brighton and Hove PCTs activity levels for diabetic retinopathy screening services have increased over recent years. In 2010-11, the PCTs diabetic retinopathy screening has not been able to meet the increasing demand and a backlog of patients being invited for screening has developed. The reasons for this are a reduced screening service capacity in 2010-11 because of a number of difficulties including problems around recruitment and staff taking unplanned leave.
	South East Coast strategic health authority is monitoring this closely and has worked with the PCT to develop and agree a recovery plan to improve access to diabetic retinopathy screening. We are advised that the PCT will be writing to you to in the next few days to share its recovery plan with you.

Doctors: Working Hours

Daniel Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress he has made in implementing the recommendations of the review of the Working Time Directive undertaken by Medical Education England in respect of encouraging junior doctors to participate in leadership and management training.

Anne Milton: The focus of the review undertaken by Professor Sir John Temple at the request of Medical Education England was the impact of training the future medical workforce with reduced hours available for learning. In this respect the aspect of encouraging junior doctors to participate in management and leadership training is only indirectly referred to. For example, by using more simulation in training, doctors will be able to develop skills around teamwork, leadership and management.
	Medical Education England has identified leadership as a unifying theme across its professional advisory boards, and this will help ensure that it is included in training throughout the professions.
	Medical Education England has developed an action plan to implement the recommendations of the Temple report known as “Better Training, Better Care”, which will implement changes in clinical practises resulting in better supervision of trainees and increased consultant presence on the wards. This will encourage clinical leadership both in training and the delivery of care.

Drugs: Prices

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what responsibilities Monitor will have in the setting of prices for medicines under his Department’s plans for NHS reform.

Simon Burns: We are currently consulting on our plans for a new value-based system for the pricing of medicines. Our proposals do not envisage a role for Monitor in the setting of medicines’ prices.

Drugs: Prices

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether medicines will be included in his proposed national tariff; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The costs of most medicines used by hospitals during an episode of care are included in the Payment by Results national tariff. There are some drugs, however, that are reimbursed outside of the tariff. These are typically specialist drugs used in a relatively small number of centres rather than evenly spread across all providers.
	The Department publishes a list of excluded drugs each year alongside the national tariff. Information for 2010-11 can be found on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_112284

Drugs: Prices

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department plans to maintain mandatory funding direction for medicines approved by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: We are consulting on our plans for a value-based system of medicines pricing in “A new value-based approach to the pricing of branded medicines” and this exercise closes on 17 March 2011. A copy of the consultation document has already been placed in the Library.
	Until we are assured that the improvements we want to see in access to medicines are realised; we will continue to ensure that the national health service in England funds drugs that have been positively appraised by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). Provision is made in the Health and Social Care Bill to replicate the effect of the funding direction that currently applies to NICE-appraised drugs.

Epilepsy: Brighton

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 4 March 2011, Official Report, column 660W, on epilepsy: Brighton, what assessment his Department has made of progress towards implementation of the National Service Framework for long-term conditions; when he plans to publish the mid-term review of the framework; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: We have made no assessment of the progress being made towards implementation of the National Service Framework for Long-term Conditions (NSF). No mid-term review of the Framework has been undertaken.
	It is the responsibility of local health bodies to implement the NSF within the 10 year timescale from publication.

Food: Labelling

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on the future sale and labelling of food products containing genetically modified organisms.

Anne Milton: The Government believe that regulatory decisions on the sale of food products derived from genetically modified (GM) organisms should be based on a robust, case-by-case assessment of the potential impact on human health and the environment, taking full account of the scientific evidence. Consumers should be able to make an informed choice about whether to buy GM foods, through clear labelling rules.

Food: Labelling

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 17 February 2011, Official Report, column 923W, on animal products: clones, what his policy is on the future sale and labelling of products containing food from the offspring of cloned animals.

Anne Milton: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has sought the views of interested parties on changing its interpretation of the novel foods regulation in respect of food obtained from the descendants of cloned cattle and pigs. The FSA is currently reviewing the responses it received and will announce its final position shortly.

General Practitioners

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of primary care-led commissioning.

Simon Burns: The Impact Assessment that was published alongside the Health and Social Care Bill in January outlines how giving general practitioners (GPs) freedom to design services around patients will deliver benefits in terms of improved services that deliver better outcomes, improved patient experience, and more efficient management of national health service resources.
	GPs, in partnership with other local health care professionals such as community nurses and pharmacists, are best placed to understand the health needs of local populations and how to design services that provide more effective, joined-up and preventive care.
	The Impact Assessment has been placed in the Library.

Hay Fever

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department (a) has issued and (b) plans to issue to (i) GPs and (ii) hospitals on the treatment of patients suffering with hay fever; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: Guidance to general practitioners is available from “Clinical Knowledge Summaries”, a collection of guidelines maintained by NHS Evidence and available on their website at:
	http://www.cks.nhs.uk/allergic_rhinitis
	More detailed clinical guidelines on the treatment of patients suffering with hay fever are available from the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology (January 2008) and from an international group (the “ARIA” guidelines, revised June 2010). The Department has no plans to issue guidance in this area.

Hay Fever

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice his Department issues to those with hay fever; how much his Department spent on provision of such advice in the latest period for which figures are available; what mechanisms his Department uses to disseminate such advice to members of the public; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: Information and advice for people with hay fever is available from “NHS Choices” and from other popular sources, including a patient information leaflet published by the organisation Patient UK and available on their website:
	www.patient.co.uk
	The cost to public funds of preparing and updating the advice in “NHS Choices” cannot be separately identified.

Hay Fever

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of (a) males and (b) females with hay fever in each age group in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: The Department has made no such estimates. Seasonal allergic rhinitis is thought to affect about 10% of the United Kingdom population although the true prevalence may be higher. An analysis of the available epidemiological information, published with the Department's review of services for allergy in July 2006, estimated that the rates of general practitioner (GP) consultation for males and females by age group in 2004 were as in the following table. These figures will however understate the number of people suffering from hay fever, since many people with this condition do not consult a doctor.
	
		
			 Proportion of patients consulting a GP for allergic rhinitis at some point during 2004 (rates per 10,000) 
			  Age standardised rate (95% CI) All ages <1 1-4 5-14 15-24 25-44 45-64 65-74 75+ 
			 Male 152 (147-158) 152 5 112 308 241 143 86 84 77 
			 Female 171 (165-177) 173 0 73 224 305 214 121 89 70

Hay Fever: British Medical Association

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent (a) discussions he has had with and (b) representations he has received from the British Medical Association on the treatment of patients suffering with hay fever; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: There have been no such representations or discussions.

Hay Fever: Drugs

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) males and (b) females in each (i) age group and (ii) health authority area were prescribed medication for the relief of hay fever in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Simon Burns: Information on the number, age and sex of patients prescribed a medicine and the indication for which a medicine was prescribed, is not collected centrally. The numbers of prescription items for medicines that can be used in the treatment of hay fever prescribed in England and dispensed in the community in the United Kingdom by strategic health authority (SHA) are shown in the following tables.
	Antihistamines (British National Formulary (BNF) paragraph 3.4.1) are the main treatment for hay fever but topical nasal steroids (BNF paragraph 12.2.1) and other anti- inflammatory preparations for eye problems (BNF paragraph 11.4.2) are also used. It is not possible to know with certainty whether an item was prescribed to treat hay fever and all products included in these figures have indications other than the treatment of hay fever as follows.
	
		
			 Prescription items for antihistamines prescribed in England and dispensed in the community in the UK, by SHA, July 2006-10 
			 Thousand 
			 SHA July-December 2006   (1) 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 East Midlands 377.3 849.4 904.4 973.9 1,037.5 
			 East of England 475.8 1,047.7 1,103.3 1,186.9 1,250.2 
			 London 553.6 1,322.9 1,375.3 1,489.8 1,569.7 
			 North East 236.3 504.7 538.9 578.0 615.3 
			 North West 651.2 1,386.8 1,453.3 1,537.8 1,614.2 
			 South Central 292.1 661.1 683.0 722.4 751.3 
			 South East Coast 304.8 674.6 703.7 745.6 783.2 
		
	
	
		
			 South West 371.5 822.7 868.6 920.6 971.8 
			 West Midlands 444.7 991.7 1,037.1 1,107.0 1,165.2 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 483.4 1,036.4 1,086.6 1,168.7 1,234.5 
			 Unidentified prescribing(2)  5.4 5.7 10.1 6.2 13.3 
			 Total(3, 4)  9,088.6 9,303.6 9,764.3 10,436.9 11,006.2 
		
	
	
		
			 Prescription items for topical nasal steroids prescribed in England and dispensed in the community in the UK, by SHA, July 2006-10 
			 Thousand 
			 SHA July-December 2006   (1) 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 East Midlands 204.5 463.4 500.1 528.2 559.1 
			 East of England 264.1 591.4 631.7 664.3 700.2 
			 London 260.2 634.6 673.3 716.7 751.3 
			 North East 109.3 237.3 254.2 266.3 281.6 
			 North West 314.9 696.8 738.4 786.2 824,7 
			 South Central 177.6 400.8 424.7 443.1 464.0 
			 South East Coast 178.7 400.0 419.0 438.2 457.4 
			 South West 225.8 505.0 536.1 560.7 589.3 
			 West Midlands 232.6 527.7 564.0 598.6 633.1 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 221.2 488.9 524.3 558.6 587.2 
			 Unidentified prescribing(2)  0.9 1.9 3.9 2.0 4.2 
			 Total(3, 4)  4,759.7 4,947.8 5,269.7 5,563.0 5,852.1 
		
	
	
		
			 Prescription items for other anti-inflammatory preparations for eye problems prescribed in England and dispensed in the community in the UK, by SHA, July 2006-10 
			 Thousand 
			 SHA July-December 2006   (1) 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 East Midlands 51.1 132.9 144.3 149.2 148.7 
			 East of England 62.9 160.4 169.7 174.2 171.3 
			 London 107.7 301.6 325.8 340.4 341.2 
			 North East 28.0 62.8 67.1 69.6 69.9 
			 North West 82.5 196.5 208.2 214.9 209.4 
			 South Central 39.1 105.2 111.6 114.1 113.1 
			 South East Coast 38.8 98.7 104.5 107.2 104.8 
			 South West 47.0 122.3 129.7 133.1 130.2 
			 West Midlands 68.6 174.0 187.4 194.4 194.0 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 59.7 144.5 154.5 163.2 159.8 
			 Unidentified prescribing(2)  0.5 0.8 1.8 1.0 2.0 
			 Total(3, 4)  1,531.3 1,499.7 1,604.8 1,661.1 1,644.4 
			 (1 )SHAs were reorganised in July 2006, comparable data are not available for January-June 2006 (2) ‘Unidentified prescribing’ is prescribing which cannot be attributed to an SHA (3 )Figures may not sum due to rounding (4) England total for 2006 relates to full year January-December dispensing Source: Prescribing Analysis and Cost Tool (PACT) system

Heart Diseases: Children

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to announce his favoured reconfiguration option for children's heart surgery units; and what processes will be undertaken prior to making a decision.

Simon Burns: The ‘Safe and Sustainable’ review of children's heart services in England is being conducted by the NHS Specialised Commissioning Team on behalf of the Joint Committee of Primary Care Trusts. The committee has published four options for reconfiguration.
	These options have been arrived at by a thorough and comprehensive process, including extensive engagement with clinicians, patients and the public, and those are currently out to public consultation until 1 July 2011. The public consultation will include a number of public consultation events planned across England and Wales as well as focused events with relevant professional associations. The outcome of consultation will be considered by the Joint Committee of Primary Care Trusts in the autumn of 2011.
	Information is available at:
	www.specialisedservices.nhs.uk/safe_sustainable/public-consultation-2011

HIV Infection: Screening

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to increase early diagnosis of HIV.

Anne Milton: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Pudsey (Stuart Andrew) on 27 January 2011, Official Report, column 462W.

Hospitals: Food

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the NHS will be subject to Government buying standards for food; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: The Operating Framework for the NHS in England 2011-12, published on 15 December 2010, makes it clear that national health service organisations are encouraged to consider the Government Buying Standards for food and catering when they are introduced at the end of March 2011.

Hygiene: Publicity

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to the public purse was of his Department's Catch It, Kill It, Bin It respiratory hand hygiene campaign in each of the last five years.

Anne Milton: The costs of respiratory and hand hygiene campaigns are as follows:
	2007-08: £688,453
	2008-09: £1,877,181
	2009-10: £3,710,044.
	The expected costs for 2010-11 are £861,344. There was no campaign in 2006-07.

Hygiene: Publicity

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what dates his Department's annual Catch It, Kill It, Bin It respiratory hand hygiene campaign was launched in each of the last five years.

Anne Milton: Respiratory and hand hygiene campaigns were launched on the following dates:
	2007-08: November 2007
	2008-09: November 2008
	2009-10: April 2009
	2010-11: January 2011.
	The 2009-10 campaign started earlier in the year in readiness for (an anticipated) considerable increase in swine flu cases.

Hygiene: Publicity

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he made in October 2010 of the merits of the proposed launch date for his Department's Catch It, Kill It, Bin It respiratory hand hygiene campaign in 2011.

Anne Milton: The ‘Catch It, Bin It, Kill It’ campaign is designed to encourage behaviours likely to slow the spread of flu.
	Research from previous campaigns showed that advertising this message against a backdrop of an imminent health threat was more effective than maintaining a constant presence from a behaviour change perspective. Departmental officials therefore recommended, before October 2010, that the campaign should not run during 2010-11 unless the winter brought a severe flu season.
	The decision to run the campaign was taken during the Christmas holidays in response to data on rising rates of flu infection in England.

Medical Equipment

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many appliance use reviews have been provided by the NHS since the introduction of such reviews.

Simon Burns: The information held by the NHS Prescription Services records 11,162 appliance use reviews from April to December 2010.

NHS Foundation Trusts

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what proportion of NHS foundation trusts held their board meetings in public in the last year for which figures are available;
	(2)  what proportion of NHS foundation trusts publish the (a) agendas, (b) background papers and (c) minutes of their board meetings;
	(3)  whether his Department provides guidance to NHS foundation trusts to encourage transparency and public engagement in the decision-making process at board level.

Simon Burns: We are informed by the chair of Monitor (the statutory name of which is the Independent Regulator of NHS Foundation Trusts) that Monitor does not hold or collect data on either the proportion of foundation trusts that hold board meetings in public; or on the proportion of foundation trusts which publish their board agendas, papers and minutes.
	However, foundation trusts should follow a policy of openness and transparency in their proceedings and decision making. “The NHS Foundation Trust Code of Governance”, produced by Monitor, sets out a framework for good governance and encourages openness from the board. The code also encourages foundation trusts to hold a meeting of their membership at least annually. Foundation trusts must either comply with the code, or explain clearly the reasons why they do not do so.
	The Department is committed to making the national health service more transparent and accountable to patients and the public it serves. The measures we are taking in the Health and Social Care Bill would strengthen the accountability of foundation trusts and their directors to governors, the majority of whom are elected by the public.

NHS: Private Patients

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what requirement there is for NHS hospitals to set charges for the treatment of private patients at a level which results in a surplus over the cost of the treatment.

Simon Burns: There are no requirements on national health service hospitals about how they set charges for private patients. Foundation trusts, unlike NHS trusts, do have a constraint on the total income they can earn from private charges.

NHS: Reorganisation

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the likely effects of structural reorganisation on (a) service delivery in the NHS, (b) the efficiency of the NHS and (c) quality improvement in the NHS; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The Government published a full impact assessment alongside the Health and Social Care Bill.
	The effects of the proposed changes upon service delivery, efficiency and quality improvement are discussed within the impact assessment. The impact assessment is available at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsLegislation/DH_123583
	A copy has already been placed in the Library.

Obesity: Children

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of children in each age group who were classified as (a) overweight and (b) obese (i) in Southend, (ii) in each borough in (A) Essex and (B) Kent, (iii) in Greater London and (iv) nationally in each year since 2008.

Anne Milton: Information is not available in the format requested.
	Information on the percentage of overweight and obese children in England is available in the ‘Health Survey for England—2009 trend tables’, Child trend tables, Table 4. Information is provided for children aged two to 15 in England for the years 1995 to 2009. This information is available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/hse09trends
	The proportion of children aged two to 15 recorded as overweight and obese by strategic health authority (SHA) is available for 2008 in Table 13.3 (p327) of the ‘Health Survey for England—2008: Physical activity and fitness’. The information is available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/hse08physicalactivity
	Further information on the prevalence of overweight and obese children at a primary care trust (PCT) and local authority (LA) level is available through the National Child Measurement Programme. Information is available for children in reception (four to five years) and year six (10 to 11 years) for the years 2006-07 to 2009-10. Information showing prevalence of overweight and obese children in those two school years by LA, PCT, SHA and for England is available for each year from the following:
	Tables 2 and 3 of the accompanying Excel file of the National Child Measurement Programme: England, 2009/10 school year report is available on the NHS Information Centre website at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/health-and-lifestyles/obesity/national-child-measurement-programme-england-2009-10-school-year
	Tables 2 and 3 of the accompanying Excel file of the ‘National Child Measurement Programme: England, 2008/09 school year’ report is available on the NHS Information Centre website at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/health-and-lifestyles/obesity/national-child-measurement-programme-england-2008-09-school-year
	Tables 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the accompanying Excel file of ‘National Child Measurement Programme: results from the 2007/08 school year, headline results’ report is available on the NHS Information Centre website at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/health-and-lifestyles/obesity/national-child-measurement-programme-results-from-the-school-year-2007-08
	All these publications have already been placed in the Library.

Obesity: Death

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has made an estimate of the cost to the economy of illness, economic inactivity and premature death associated with obesity since August 2010; what discussions (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have had on that matter since August 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: The estimated cost of overweight and obesity to the economy and to the national health service was set out in the report by Foresight, “Tackling Obesities: Future Choices—Modelling Future Trends in Obesity and the Impact on Health” (2007). This report is available from the following link:
	http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.bis.gov.uk/foresight/our-work/projects/current-projects/tackling-obesities
	Tackling obesity is a key public health challenge, and Ministers have had various discussions on the matter, as have officials. A document on obesity, following on from the White Paper “Healthy Lives, Healthy People”, will be published in spring 2011.

Paediatrics: Incontinence

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure consistency in the commissioning of paediatric continence services.

Anne Milton: The Department has published care pathways for children affected by incontinence, and the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has produced dedicated good practice guidance on constipation and nocturnal enuresis in children and young people.

Sex: Health Education

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on sex and relationship education; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: We have had discussions with the Minister of State for Children and Families, the hon. Member for Brent Central (Sarah Teather), at the Department for Education on a number of issues including education on relationships and sex.
	Ministers of both Departments believe it is important that children and young people receive a high quality, age-appropriate programme of such education to enable them to make wise and informed choices in later life. Measures to improve the quality of delivery of relationships and sex education in schools will be considered in the context of the internal review of Personal, Social, Health and Economic education announced by the Department for Education in ‘The Importance of Teaching: The Schools White Paper 2010’. The document has already been placed in the Library.

Teenage Pregnancy: Family Planning

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the effect on rates of teenage pregnancy of the use of birth control.

Anne Milton: The rate of teenage conceptions has been falling in recent years. In 2009 the rate was 38.2 per 1,000 girls aged 15 to 17, representing a 30 year low.
	A clinical guideline, ‘Long-acting reversible contraception: the effective and appropriate use of long-acting reversible contraception’, published by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, found that by raising the profile of different methods of contraception particularly long-acting reversible contraception and increasing contraceptive choice, the number of unintended pregnancies would fall.
	Health care professionals should have regard to the latest evidence based guidelines when considering effectiveness and which method will be best for an individual patient.

Tissue Viability Nurses

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many tissue viability nurses were working in each primary care trust or predecessor body in each year since 2000.

Anne Milton: The information requested is not collected by the Department.

Tissue Viability Sores: Infections

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of treatment of secondary infections caused by (a) tissue viability sores and (b) incontinence in the latest period in which figures are available.

Simon Burns: The information is not available because the Department does not collect the cost to the national health service of treating individual diagnoses.

Tobacco: EU Law

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of the evidential basis of the RAND Europe Study, Assessing the Impacts of Revising the Tobacco Products Directive.

Anne Milton: The RAND Europe Study was prepared for the European Commission (EC) to support the development of an impact assessment for the possible revision of the Tobacco Products Directive.
	While the Government have not commented on the RAND Europe Study, I understand that many interested parties in the United Kingdom have sent their comments directly to the EC. The Department and other interested
	parties responded to the public consultation on the possible revision of the directive ran by the EC over the period 24 September to 17 December 2010. The EC is currently considering these submissions.

Urology: Nurses

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS stoma care nursing posts were funded through industry support in each of the last 10 years; and what estimate he has made of the value to the NHS of this support.

Anne Milton: The information requested is not collected by the Department.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Affordable Housing

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he plans to take to encourage local authorities to increase the provision of family-sized affordable homes.

Grant Shapps: In setting out the framework for the Affordable Homes Programme, the Government have made clear that the programme must take account of local priorities, which in some areas will include the provision of family-sized homes. We will seek confirmation of local authority support for new supply proposals when schemes are identified or indicative proposals become firm.
	The new homes bonus will also encourage local authorities to meet the housing need in their areas, including the housing need of families, by matching the council tax for the following six years. Family homes will tend to be in a higher council tax band than smaller houses or flats. In addition, every affordable home built will receive an additional premium of £350 per year, up to around 36% more than for an equivalent market home.
	As outlined in my answer to the hon. Member on 2 March 2011, Official Report, column 483W, our removal of national minimum density targets now gives local authorities the flexibility to set density ranges that suit the local needs in their areas—particularly for family homes.

Departmental Food

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  if he will make it his policy to place a duty on local authorities that prohibits the purchase of seafood which is included on the Marine Conservation Society List of fish to avoid;
	(2)  if he will make it his policy to require local authorities to purchase seafood that complies with sustainability standards as indicated either by (a) inclusion on the Marine Conservation Society list of fish to eat, (b) certification by the Marine Stewardship Council or (c) the terms of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation’s Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries.

Bob Neill: DCLG fully support the Government’s commitment to sourcing more sustainable food. However, in accordance with the decentralisation and localism agendas, we do not believe that the Government should place a further duty on local authorities in this respect as my Department is seeking to reduce the cumulative burden of legal duties imposed on local government.

Departmental Furniture

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much Government offices for the regions spent on office chairs in the last 24 months for which figures are available; and what the (a) make and model and (b) cost of each type of chair was.

Greg Clark: Information currently available on the purchase of seating within the Government offices for the regions in the financial years 2009-10 and 2010-11 is as follows:
	
		
			 Description Item cost (£) Number purchased Total (£) 
			 Financial year 2009-10     
			 Ara chair with tilt limiter and coat hanger 266.17 190 50,572.30 
			 Stacking arm chair—static 117.00 98 11,466.00 
			 Stacking arm chair—on castors 147.00 10 1,470.00 
			 Spring stool with leather seat pad 205.00 24 4,920.00 
			 Joy cashier chair 149.00 1 149.00 
			 Cusp tub chair 231.00 21 4,851.00 
			 Trannon single lounge chair 247.00 4 988.00 
			 Trannon 3-seat sofa 879.00 2 1,758.00 
			 Opera wide chair 1,028.10 1 1,028.10 
			 Oasis tub chairs 556.40 18 10,015.20 
			 Oasis sofa 725.40 2 1,450.80 
			 Various chairs required for reasonable adjustments — 8 4,067.00 
			 Financial year total — 379 92,735.40 
			     
			 Financial year 2010-11     
			 Various chairs required for reasonable adjustments — 4 3,198.25 
			 Financial year total — 4 3,198.25 
			     
			 Grand total — — 95,933.65 
		
	
	The chair purchased in 2010-11 costing £1,072 was a highly specialised chair required for a member of staff with special needs. The Government's intention to close the Government offices for the regions was announced in principle on 22 July 2010 with the final decision announced as part of the spending review on 20 October 2010.

Departmental Legal Costs

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department paid for (a) external legal advice and (b) consultants in respect of the Cala Homes legal action in the last six months.

Greg Clark: In respect of the Cala Homes legal actions over the past six months:
	(a) The final legal costs for the Cala Homes case have not yet been determined as the legal challenge is ongoing and will be heard in May.
	(b) No consultants were appointed.

Departmental Legal Costs

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which external legal advisers his Government engaged in respect of the Cala Homes legal action.

Greg Clark: Mr James Eadie QC and Mr James Maurici acted on behalf of the Government in Cala Home’s first legal challenge and Mr James Maurici and Mr Tim Mould QC on the second legal challenge by Cala Homes.

Fire Services: Finance

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the percentage change in his Department's grant to each precepting fire and rescue authority is between 2010-11 and 2011-12.

Bob Neill: Percentage changes cannot currently be calculated as the total amount of Fire Revenue Grant for 2011-12 is not yet set. We are currently consulting on the future of fire and rescue control services and this will determine the total amount of Fire Revenue Grant.

Food: Procurement

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his policy is on placing local authorities under a commitment to source food that meets British or equivalent standards of production subject to no overall increase in costs.

Bob Neill: DCLG fully support the Government's commitment to sourcing more sustainable and nutritious food. Central Government can help promote best practice in local government; however, individual procurement decisions by councils will be a matter for local determination.

Housing: Overcrowding

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 17 February 2011, Official Report, column 890W, on housing: overcrowding 
	(1)  if he will make it his policy to collect data on the number of households who approached each local authority for homelessness assistance on the grounds that overcrowding made it unreasonable for them to continue to occupy their property; and if he will collect data on the number of such households for which the main homelessness duty was accepted;
	(2)  if he will make it his policy to collect data on the local authorities which award reasonable preference to overcrowded households in their allocations policy where overcrowding is based on the definition of overcrowding set out in the Housing Act 1985.

Andrew Stunell: The Department for Communities and Local Government is not proposing to collect this information. We are seeking to reduce the burden of data reporting to central Government as outlined in my Department’s press notice of 17 December 2010.
	As part of our proposed reforms of social housing, we will give local authorities greater flexibility to decide how best to meet housing need in their area and improve housing outcomes.
	We have maintained homelessness grant at this year’s level, investing £400 million over the next four years, and we have made a further £190 million available to local authorities to assist households affected by welfare reform.

Local Government: Referendums

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his legislative proposals to allow petitions for local referenda are intended to allow for a referendum in (a) individual boroughs and (b) individual borough wards.

Bob Neill: holding answer 10 March 2011
	Our commitment in the coalition agreement is to give residents the power to instigate local referendums, and we have accordingly made provision in the Localism Bill allowing electors to petition for referendums within individual wards, or across an area which is one or more local government areas, or comprises a number of wards within one such area.

Planning

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government by what date he expects his proposals for reform of the rules in respect of contributions to planning decisions by local councillors to take effect.

Bob Neill: Provisions in the Localism Bill, currently before Parliament, to allow councillors to freely discuss important issues such as planning matters with their constituents, and to give their opinion on such issues without this being cited as evidence of having a closed mind on the subject, will come into force two months after the Bill's enactment.

Public Expenditure

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the job title is of each civil servant employed by the Government offices for the regions who had all or part of their (a) living and (b) accommodation costs met from the public purse in the latest period for which figures are available.

Greg Clark: I assume that the hon. Member is asking about costs covered by those in full-time accommodation away from their home such as detached duty.
	As at the end of January 2011, 10 Government offices for the regions staff were in receipt of detached duty payments at the following grades:
	
		
			  Grade Number 
			 UK Trade and Investment Team Administrative Officer 1 
			 UK Trade and Investment Team Executive Officer 5 
			 Government Office Closure Team Executive Officer 1 
			 UK Trade and Investment Team Higher Executive Officer 4 
			 Government Office Closure Team Higher Executive Officer 1 
			 Government Office Closure Team Grade 7 2 
			 Government Office Director Grade 3 1 
		
	
	One member of staff detailed above has since left the Government offices.

Public Expenditure

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the job title is of each civil servant employed by the Audit Commission who had all or part of their (a) living and (b) accommodation costs met from the public purse in the latest period for which figures are available.

Bob Neill: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission and I have asked the chief executive of the Audit Commission to write to my hon. Friend direct. However I also refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 28 February 2011, Official Report, columns 106-107W, to the hon. Member for Cannock Chase (Mr Burley), detailing the benefits, including hotel costs, for the chief executive.
	Letter from Eugene Sullivan, dated March 2011
	“Parliamentary Question: what the job title is of each civil servant employed by the Audit Commission who had all or part of their (a) living and (b) accommodation costs met by the public purse in the latest period for which figures are available.”
	Your Parliamentary Question has been passed to me to reply.
	Audit Commission staff are not civil servants.
	In the last 12 months, the Commission has contributed to the living and/or accommodation costs of two members of staff, as follows:
	an Audit Manager who moved from Carlisle to Solihull at a relocation cost of £2,600; and
	an Audit Manager seconded from Northern to Central Region for a period of six weeks at a relocation cost of £780.64. This secondment ended at the end of March 2010.
	These individuals were transferred to new posts and required to relocate, one on a permanent and one on a temporary basis.

Public Sector: Pay

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reasons teaching assistants who earn less than £21,000 a year will not receive the guaranteed public sector worker pay increase of £250 in 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: The Government have no role in determining annual pay awards in local authorities. These are for the employers and unions to negotiate.

Shops: Empty Property

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many vacant shops there were in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available; and what estimate has been made of the likely number of vacant shops in each of the next two years.

Bob Neill: This information is not held centrally.

Supermarkets

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what plans he has to modify Planning Policy Statement 4 to introduce a test to give local authorities greater powers to control the numbers of small supermarket outlets in town or city centres;
	(2)  if he will bring forward legislative proposals to give local authorities greater powers to control the numbers of small supermarket outlets in town or city centres.

Bob Neill: The Government are committed to supporting town centres which are at the heart of our communities and neighbourhoods. Current national planning policy within planning policy statement 4 “Planning for Sustainable Economic Growth” asks local planning authorities to plan for a strong retail mix so that the range and quality of retail on offer meets the requirements of the local area and, where appropriate, to take measures to protect and enhance the established character and diversity of their town centres.
	Our “town centre first” policy will continue to be strongly expressed in the forthcoming national planning policy framework. Indeed, the Government’s firm intention in reviewing the policy is to make it more accessible and clearer. We will publish the draft framework for consultation in the summer.

TREASURY

Bank: Loans

Daniel Poulter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will assess the merits of introducing a cap of three per cent. over the Bank of England base rate on the interest charged by banks on loans to profitable businesses.

Mark Hoban: Decisions about interest rates on loans are a matter for individual financial institutions to make on a commercial basis. The Government do not intervene in these decisions as a matter of course.

Enterprise Investment Scheme

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the effect on the level of funding for small and medium-sized enterprises of raising the level of income tax relief in respect of the Enterprise Investment Scheme to (a) 30, (b) 40 and (c) 50 per cent.

David Gauke: Total investment in companies qualifying under the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) are published by HMRC as National Statistics at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/ent_invest_scheme/table8-1.pdf
	Some but not all of this investment qualifies for income tax relief. No estimates have been made of the different effects on SME investment of changing the relief rate to these higher levels.

Financial Institutions

Robert Halfon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received on foreclosures arising from decisions of (a) RBS Banking Group and (b) other financial institutions in the last 12 months.

Mark Hoban: UK Financial Investments (UKFI) manages the Government’s investments in financial institutions on an arm’s length and commercial basis.
	Mortgage lenders’ policies on foreclosures are a matter for the board and management of those financial institutions.
	The Government are determined that repossession should always be a last resort. Financial Services Authority regulation requires that, wherever possible, lenders and borrowers should work together to manage any difficulties. Home owners also have protection in the courts through the Pre-Action Protocol, which makes it clear what is required of lenders.

Gift Aid

Jon Trickett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect on charities and voluntary groups of the ending of transitional relief on gift aid.

Justine Greening: Gift aid transitional relief was introduced as a temporary measure to give charities time to prepare their financial plans in response to a lower rate of relief from gift aid. By April 2011, when the relief ends, charities will have had four years since the announcement of the 20% basic rate of income tax to prepare for the change. In 2009-10 charities benefited by £105 million from this relief and it is forecast that they will benefit by £120 million in 2010-11. The Government believe the £100 million transition fund announced in the spending review will better target support on charities most in need.

Green Investment Bank

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what definition of a contingent liability of the Green Investment Bank his Department uses.

Justine Greening: For the purposes of departmental accounts, the accounting standard IAS 37 is applied in full. IAS 37 defines a contingent liability as:
	a possible obligation depending on whether some uncertain future event occurs; or
	a present obligation but payment is not probable or the amount cannot be measured reliably.

Green Investment Bank: Scotland

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many meetings he has had with the Secretary of State for Scotland on the Green Investment Bank; and on which date each meeting took place.

Justine Greening: Treasury Ministers have frequent meetings with their ministerial colleagues as part of the process of policy development and delivery. It is not the Government’s practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Industrial Diseases: Compensation

David Anderson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether there has been any liaison between those responsible for administering the pleural plaques extra-statutory scheme and HM Revenue and Customs on the provision of employment history schedules by Special Section A for use by applicants to the scheme.

David Gauke: I can confirm that Ministry of Justice officials have been in contact with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) about requests for employment history schedules related to the Pleural Plaque compensation scheme.

Internet: National Income

Ian Austin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will assess the contribution to the UK economy of (a) Google, (b) Yahoo, (c) Facebook and (d) other major internet companies.

David Gauke: The Government recognise the importance of the digital and creative industries which includes companies such as Google, Yahoo and Facebook. In 2008, the digital and creative industries contributed £18 billion to the UK economy, equivalent to 1.4% of total GVA and employed approximately 353,000 workers.
	The Government are keen to ensure that the UK remains a desirable location for businesses of all size and are taking action by prioritising investment in key infrastructure, demonstrated in the National Infrastructure Plan and heading for a simpler and more competitive tax system through the Corporate Tax Roadmap.
	Alongside infrastructure investment and the corporate tax reforms, the Growth Review contributes to the Government's drive to remove the barriers to growth and improve British competitiveness. The Government want to create the right conditions for businesses to succeed and are tackling barriers in several sectors where there are opportunities for growth, including the digital and creative industries. The Growth Review will report back at Budget.

Multilateral Information Exchange Agreement

David Hanson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress has been made on the multilateral information exchange agreement proposed in recent G20 communiqués.

David Gauke: A Protocol opening the Council of Europe-OECD multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters to a potentially world-wide membership is expected to come into force on 1 June following ratification by existing members. It is anticipated that a number of new members, which may include developing countries, will subsequently join the convention.

National Insurance Contributions

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the (a) take up and (b) operation of the regional employers' national insurance contributions holiday for new businesses since its inception.

David Gauke: holding answer 24 January 2011
	We intend to publish details of the take-up of NI contributions holiday around the Budget later this month.

National Insurance Contributions

Matthew Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will estimate the number of people employed by businesses eligible to receive relief for national insurance contributions for new businesses in each (a) local authority, (b) parliamentary constituency and (c) region;
	(2)  if he will estimate the number of businesses eligible to receive relief for national insurance contributions for new businesses in each (a) local authority, (b) parliamentary constituency and (c) region.

David Hanson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many applications to the national insurance holiday scheme have been refused since June 2010;
	(2)  how many businesses have applied for the national insurance holiday in the (a) retail, (b) manufacturing and (c) service sector;
	(3)  how many businesses have applied for the national insurance holiday in each month since June 2010.

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many companies have taken up the regional employers national insurance contribution holiday for new businesses since June 2010.

David Gauke: We intend to publish details of the take-up of NI contributions holiday around the Budget later this month.

National Insurance Contributions

Edward Balls: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many businesses applied for the National Insurance holiday for new small businesses in each eligible region in January 2011;
	(2)  how many business have applied for the National Insurance holiday for new small businesses in each eligible (a) region, (b) local authority and (c) constituency to date;
	(3)  what steps he has taken to raise the level of awareness of the National Insurance holiday for new small businesses in eligible regions.

David Gauke: holding answer 11 February 2011
	We intend to publish details of the take-up of NI contributions holiday around the Budget later this month.

Public Finance

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of interest payments arising from the national debt in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12.

Justine Greening: Central Government gross debt interest payments for 2010-11 and 2011-12 can be found in Table 4.14 of the Office for Budget Responsibility’s Economic and Fiscal Outlook, November 2010 (page 106).
	It is available online at:
	http://budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/econ-fiscal-outlook.html
	The OBR will publish an updated assessment of the public finances including debt interest payments at the Budget on 23 March 2011.

Small Businesses: VAT

Glyn Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the effect on small businesses of the increase in the basic rate of value added tax.

David Gauke: I refer the hon. member to my answer of 10 January 2011, Official Report, column 217W.

Smuggling: Fuels

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the level of smuggled fuel detected by HM Revenue and Customs officers in Northern Ireland in each quarter in each of the last five years.

Justine Greening: The amount of illicit fuel seized in Northern Ireland over the last five years is as shown in the following table. HMRC do not hold these figures broken down by quarter.
	
		
			  Fuel (million litres) 
			 2005-06 1.08 
			 2006-07 0.84 
			 2007-08 0.82 
			 2008-09 1.09 
			 2009-10 1.4

Taxation

David Hanson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of the likely effectiveness of proposals to be tabled at the United Nations Economic and Social Council intended to strengthen its Committee of Tax Experts; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: The Government welcome the Secretary-General's advance report, which provides a balanced assessment of the different options for strengthening the committee.
	The UK's priority is to maintain effective and representative arrangements for international cooperation in tax matters that respect member states' sovereignty and avoid duplication with the work of other international organisations.
	The Government consider that the best means of enhancing the effectiveness of the committee would be to ensure that the prioritisation of the work of the committee fully represents its members' interests, and consider any practical changes that might improve the committee's work and its ability to involve the widest range of participants.
	We have also made clear that the UK could not at this time support a recommendation to upgrade the committee to an intergovernmental body.
	The full UK response to the request of the UN Economic and Social Council Secretariat for views on the strengthening of institutional arrangements to promote international cooperation in tax matters, including the Committee of Experts on international cooperation in tax matters, can be found here:
	http://www.un.org/esa/ffd/tax/2011SGReport/RepliesMS.htm

Taxation

David Hanson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions has he had with the OECD Informal Task Force on Tax and Development on progress on its commitments on tax and development; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: The OECD informal Task Force on Tax and Development has been considering a range of tax issues of relevance to developing countries since its inaugural plenary meeting in April 2010. The task force will be reporting to the G20 on the most effective ways of supporting capacity building in the tax administrations of developing countries.

VAT: Further Education

Damian Hinds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the amount of unrecoverable value added tax paid by further education colleges and sixth form colleges in England in the last 12 months for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of further education colleges in England are registered for value added tax.

David Gauke: Information is not available to assess accurately the amount of VAT paid by further education colleges.
	It is not possible to determine the number of further education colleges which are currently registered for value added tax (VAT) as the industry sectors used against the VAT return do not separate out further education from other types of education.

Written Questions: Government Responses

David Hanson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to answer question 40993, on national insurance, tabled on 10 February 2011 for answer on 14 February 2011.

David Gauke: I have replied to the right hon. Member's question.

TRANSPORT

Arriva Trains: Deutsche Bahn

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will carry out an assessment of the effects on competition in the railways industry of the acquisition of Arriva Trains by Deutsche Bahn.

Theresa Villiers: Assessment of the effects of corporate acquisitions and mergers in the rail industry is a matter for the Office of Rail Regulation, which has concurrent competition authority powers with the Office of Fair Trading.

Aviation: Security

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has any plans he has to introduce a crew personnel advanced screening system (CrewPASS); and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has any plans to introduce a crew personnel advanced screening system (CrewPASS); and if he will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: There are no plans to introduce a separate crew personnel screening system at UK airports along the lines of the CrewPASS system being trialled on a limited basis on US domestic flights.
	Aviation security is governed by the “host state” principle and it is for each country to put in place the security measures it deems necessary to meet the threat. I have no standing to comment on the measures in place in other countries.

Aviation: Security

Steven Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research his Department has (a) undertaken and (b) evaluated on the threat to airport and airline security from air crew.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment he has made of the threat to airport and airline security from air crew.

Theresa Villiers: I refer the hon. Members to my answer given to the hon. Member for Eastbourne (Stephen Lloyd) of 7 March 2011, Official Report, column 831W.

Aviation: Security

Steven Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has plans to bring forward proposals to enable airports to determine their own security procedures for air crew.

Theresa Villiers: I refer the hon. Member to my answer given to the hon. Member for Eastbourne (Stephen Lloyd) of 2 March 2011, Official Report, column 460W.

Aviation: Security

Marcus Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment he has made of the threat to airport and airline security from air crew.

Theresa Villiers: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 16 February 2011, Official Report, column 831W, given to the hon. Member for Eastbourne (Stephen Lloyd).

Biofuels

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he plans to take in response to the results of the study by E4Tech commissioned by his Department on differences between biofuel types; and what assessment he has made of the types of biofuel which are most environmentally sustainable.

Norman Baker: In 2009 the Department for Transport commissioned E4Tech to study the Indirect Land Use Change (ILUC) impacts of the five biofuels expected to form the main supply of biofuel in the UK in the next 10 years: palm, soy and oilseed rape biodiesel, and sugarcane and wheat bioethanol.
	The report from E4Tech sheds light on the complexity of calculating ILUC emissions, particularly where there are uncertainties due to both limitations in data and knowledge of how future markets will develop.
	The Government referenced the E4Tech work in its October 2010 response to the European Commission consultation on ILUC impacts of biofuels and bioliquids. In this response the UK Government called on the Commission to work with member states to develop detailed options to address ILUC which can be subjected to full impact assessments.
	The E4Tech research is also being used in ongoing research to assess the potential for regional level actions to mitigate ILUC.
	Further information on this research and the UK response to the Commission is available on the Department’s website.

Biofuels

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions officials in his Department have had with HM Treasury on the effect on captive fleets of the 20 pence tax differential for biodiesel made from used cooking oil.

Norman Baker: Biofuels from used cooking oil are currently supported through two mechanisms: the 20p tax differential which was introduced on 1 April 2010 and is set to run until April 2012, and the renewable transport fuel obligation (RFTO).
	Department for Transport officials have had no recent discussions on the 20p tax derogation for biofuels from used cooking oil.
	We are currently consulting on proposals to amend the RTFO. Our proposed amendment will provide additional support to biofuels from waste, including used cooking oil. Currently one renewable transport certificate is awarded per litre of biofuel; we propose to amend the RTFO such that biofuels from waste are awarded two renewable transport fuel certificates per litre.

Cycling England and Bikeability

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans his Department has for the future of (a) Bikeability and (b) Cycling England.

Norman Baker: We have already announced that Bikeability—cycle proficiency for the 21st century—will be supported for the remainder of this Parliament, thereby giving confidence in our commitment to this valuable programme.
	We have also announced grants totalling £11 million to local authorities and School Sport Partnerships to provide up to 275,000 Bikeability cycle training places for children in 2011-12.
	As announced in the Public Bodies Review, Cycling England is to be abolished when its current remit expires on 31 March 2011 and its functions will be taken in-house. Cycling England was reviewed as part of the coalition Government's commitment to radically increase the transparency and accountability of public services and reinvigorate the public's trust in democracy. The Government's approach was based on the presumption that state activity, where needed, is best undertaken by bodies that are democratically accountable at either national or local level.
	We also believe that the Government's move towards localism, and particularly in this regard the nature of the new Local Sustainable Transport Fund, for which all local transport authorities outside London are eligible to bid and for which we expect bids for cycling related projects, means that the rationale for a body like Cycling England has weakened. I would however like to acknowledge the good work the organisation has done during its existence.

Departmental Conditions of Employment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of his Department’s adherence to each of the principles of good employment practice set out in the Cabinet Office publication Principles of Good Employment Practice.

Norman Baker: The Principles of Good Employment Practice were published in December 2010 with the expectation that the principles will be relevant in circumstances where Government’s employees transfer to the contractor’s work force. Since December 2010 that situation has not arisen in Department for Transport (DFT).
	If, in future, any services currently delivered by DFT employees transfer to the contractor's workforce we will ensure that suppliers are aware of the principles and encourage their application.

Departmental Leaseback Arrangements

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assets his Department has sold and leased back over the last 12 months; what the sale price was of each asset so sold; and what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of leasing back each such asset over the period of the lease.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport and its seven executive agencies have not sold and leased back any assets over the last 12 months.

Electoral Reform Services

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the monetary value was of contracts his Department placed with Electoral Reform Services Ltd. in each year since 2005.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport has not placed any contracts with Electoral Reform Services since 2005.

Electric Vehicles

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what projections he has made of the likely levels of usage of electric cars in the next 20 years.

Norman Baker: Specific projections for 2031 are not yet available; the Department for Transport is currently working towards ambitions for the 4(th) Carbon Budget period (2023-27).
	It is not known which vehicle technology will dominate the market in the long-term. We are clear that uptake of ultra-low emission vehicles (such as electric, hybrid and fuel cell vehicles), in addition to efficiency improvements in conventional vehicles, is required to meet our long term carbon reduction targets. EU targets for average new car emissions are currently 130g/km by 2015, and 95g/km by 2020.
	Transport Analysis guidance, WebTAG, provides guidance on how to conduct appraisal of transport schemes and forecasts on key uptake assumptions for vehicle propulsion types. WebTAG is being developed to ensure that ultra-low emission vehicles are appropriately represented.

High Speed 1: Privatisation

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reason his Department did not sell High Speed 1 to the highest bidder; and if he will make a statement.

Philip Hammond: holding answer 8 February 2011
	The sale of High Speed 1 was highly competitive and the leading bids were all within a very narrow margin in terms of price. The award was made to the consortium comprising Borealis and Ontario Teachers Pension plan as the bid which best satisfied all the assessment criteria, which offered the fewest modifications to the vendor’s proposed terms of sale and which represented a high level of certainty of early completion.

Large Goods Vehicles: Tolls

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what timetable he has set for the process of consultation and communication on the introduction of a road user charging scheme for heavy goods vehicles.

Michael Penning: The timetable is set out in section C4.3 of the Department’s business plan 2011-15, available on the Department’s website and are available in the Libraries of the House.

London Midland: Fares

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has received representations on the practice of London Midland in displaying a list of individuals who have been prosecuted for seeking to avoid the payment of a rail fare.

Theresa Villiers: The Department for Transport has not received any representations relating to London Midland publishing the names of individuals who have been prosecuted for fare evasion.
	I understand that London Midland has changed its policy in naming individuals and is currently exploring alternatives, such as displaying the number of people found not to have a ticket on a certain day and station.

Mayors: Transport

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has for consultation on the transfer of powers from local transport authorities to proposed elected mayors under the provisions of the Localism Bill; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: I have been asked to reply.
	There is a strong case for elected mayors in our largest cities who have the powers needed for them to promote the success and prosperity of these cities. We intend to look to the cities themselves, their businesses, and those who contribute to the city's life to see just what powers might be needed.

Railways: Finance

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 28 February 2011, Official Report, columns 17-18WS, on local and regional rail services, how many local rail schemes were planned to be undertaken before April 2015.

Theresa Villiers: We are aware of 11 services currently funded by local authorities and passenger transport executives (PTEs) which could be eligible for funding by the Department for Transport from April 2015. We are not expecting any additional services to be introduced before April 2012 and any others introduced after then will not be affected by the change in date to April 2015.

Railways: Finance

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 28 February 2011, Official Report, columns 17-18WS, on local and regional rail services, how many scheduled local rail schemes will be delayed as a result of changes to funding arrangements.

Theresa Villiers: It is not expected that the introduction of any new services will be delayed by the change in funding arrangements.

Railways: Standards

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions rail services between Norwich and London Liverpool Street were more than (a) 15 minutes, (b) 30 minutes and (c) one hour late in arriving at their final destination in each year since 2007.

Theresa Villiers: The Department for Transport does not hold performance data for National Express East Anglia at the level of detail requested.
	Network Rail is responsible for performance data for the rail industry. My hon. Friend may wish to contact Network Rail’s chief executive at the following address for such information:
	David Higgins
	Chief Executive
	Network Rail
	Kings Place
	90 York Way
	London, N1 9AG.

Railways: Standards

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information his Department holds on the complaints received by each railway operator concerning its services on the Norwich to London railway line in each of the last 10 years.

Theresa Villiers: The Department for Transport does not receive this route specific information. The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) publishes complaints handling data for the UK rail industry including some specific information for National Express East Anglia (NXEA) in National Rail Trends (NRT). This is available on the ORR website at:
	http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk

Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what timetable he has set for his proposed reform of the Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation; how long the consultation is to last; and by when he expects to have implemented the results of the review.

Norman Baker: Amendments to the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligations (RTFO) Order 2007 have been considered to implement both the transport elements of the renewable energy directive (RED) and aspects of the closely related fuel quality directive (FQD).
	The Department has published consultation documents on amendments to the RTFO. In line with the code of practice on consultations these will last 12 weeks. The documents are available at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/consultations/
	As part of the consultation exercise we have set out a timetable for implementation. The Department for Transport will analyse the responses received to the consultations carefully. We aim to lay a draft of the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligations (Amendment) Order before Parliament in autumn 2011.

Roads: Trans-European Networks

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many miles of roads are identified as (a) part of Trans European Networks and (b) proposed to be designated as part of Trans European Networks in each (i) local authority area, (ii) county and (iii) region.

Theresa Villiers: At present it is not possible to provide information to the level of detail requested. A map showing the extent of the United Kingdom's road network can be found using the following link:
	http://ec.europa.eu/transport/infrastructure/networks_eu/road_en.htm
	and selecting road maps by member states. We are in discussion with the Commission as part of the review of the TEN-T network with the aim of aligning the TEN-T road network more closely with the Strategic National Corridors for the UK.

Roads: Trans-European Networks

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what funding he expects to be available for road improvements from EU and other sources in relation to Trans European Networks.

Theresa Villiers: European funding for transport schemes is not allocated by transport mode and so it Is not possible to say what proportion of the budget is available for road improvements in an average year. In the current financial perspective (2007-13) the UK has been awarded over €95 million in funding from the TEN-T programme for road projects.
	In a number of cases, the TEN-T network mirrors our domestic priorities for transport. For example, 11 of the 14 forthcoming major road schemes announced in October are on the Trans-European Network. These schemes have been provisionally allocated significant funding from the UK taxpayer.

Roads: Trans-European Networks

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether improvements to the A12 and A120 could be eligible for funding through programmes relating to Trans European Networks.

Theresa Villiers: Some parts of the A12 and the A120 are part of the UK road element of the Trans-European Network—Transport (TEN-T) and would be eligible for TEN-T funding.
	However, TEN-T funding is only available to reimburse projects that have already confirmed full funding from another source.

Sea Rescue

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many times coastguard services have been involved in operations relating to North Sea (a) offshore oil and gas installations and (b) fishing vessels in each of the last five years.

Michael Penning: The following information has been taken from the coastguard incident management system and is as accurate as the codes used to describe the characteristics of an incident. There may be a regional disparity in the use of these codes over that past four years, due to ongoing industrial action short of strike.
	To provide more detailed analysis of these figures for operations relating to offshore oil and gas installations would incur disproportionate costs.
	
		
			 Incident numbers for Shetland, Aberdeen and Forth combined (Northern Basin) 
			  2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 All commercial fishing vessels types recorded. 120 83 11 0 0 
			 Coastguard incidents categorised as 2Rig on fire”, “Gas release or well kickback” and “Man overboard” which indicate the MRCC has been notified, but does not necessarily indicate a response was initiated. 82 72 43 61 50 
			 Coastguard incidents categorised as “Rig at muster” indicating an unscheduled alarm which has been notified to the MRCC. 191 231 233 310 314 
		
	
	
		
			 Incident numbers for Humber and Yarmouth combined (Southern Basin) 
			  2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 All commercial fishing vessels types recorded. 42 15 4 2 2 
			 Coastguard incidents categorised as “Rig on fire”, “Gas release or well kickback” and “Man overboard” which indicate the MRCC has been notified, but does not necessarily indicate a response was initiated. 9 4 2 4 3 
			 Coastguard incidents categorised as “Rig at muster” indicating an unscheduled alarm which has been notified to the MRCC. 105 137 124 121 129

Sea Rescue

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been allocated to the Coastguard Marine Rescue Co-ordinating centre at (a) Clyde, (b) Forth, (c) Aberdeen, (d) Shetland and (e) Stornoway in each of the last five years.

Michael Penning: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency does not allocate its budget on an individual Maritime, Rescue and Co-ordination Centre basis. This reflects the fact that the Agency operates nationally, with only some costs attributable to individual centres by virtue of where they are domiciled, and others being part of the national infrastructure and thus not separately identifiable.

Sea Rescue

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what use the Coastguard has made of emergency towing vessels in operations in the last five years.

Michael Penning: Between 2006 and 2010, the coastguard used the four emergency towing vessels (ETVs) on a total of 182 occasions. Of this, 134 were incidents where ETVs were sent to stand-by vessels, but where they were not required to render towage services. This would typically be where a vessel had broken down in open sea and was drifting until repairs had been completed, or
	where a vessel’s owners had arranged for a tug belonging to another towage company to attend on scene to assist their vessel.
	The coastguard also dispatched ETVs on 48 occasions to assist disabled vessels in circumstances where a tow was connected. In all cases the ensuing towage services were the subject of a commercial towage agreement or the performance of an act of salvage by the tug operator.
	The ETVs carry out further supplementary work. The Western Isles ETV undertakes passive escort duties in the Minches, and one ETV undertakes hydrographic survey work during the summer season.

Sea Rescue

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions coastguard services have worked in conjunction with search and rescue helicopter services in Scotland in the last five years.

Michael Penning: Figures for the number of times the coastguard services have worked in conjunction with search and rescue (SAR) helicopter services in Scotland for each of the last five years are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Number 
			 2010 (1)395 
			 2009 (1)392 
			 2008 (1)352 
			 2007 (1)492 
			 2006 410 
			 (1) The quality of information from 2007 onwards may be affected by industrial action short of a strike. 
		
	
	The above figures include information on the use of all air facilities available to HM Coastguard not just dedicated SAR aircraft. They also include information on secondary use of SAR aircraft for inter-hospital transfers, inland incidents where maritime SAR assets have been deployed through HM Coastguard, and exercises and training.
	In 2007, the contract provider for HM Coastguard helicopter provision changed. Stornoway moved to the new contract provider in July 2007 and Sumburgh in October 2007. This change necessitated additional training requirements and this additional provision is included in the above figures. Without exercises, training and faults, the figures are as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
			 2010 (1)339 
			 2009 (1)347 
			 2008 (1)339 
			 2007 (1)422 
			 2006 383 
			 (1) The quality of information from 2007 onwards may be affected by industrial action short of a strike.

Southeastern: Franchises

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what levels of service the train operating company operating the Southeastern rail franchise is expected to meet to be considered for renewal of the franchise.

Theresa Villiers: The continuation criteria for the Southeastern franchise are set out in Schedule 18 of the National Rail franchise terms. A link to the NRFT can be found at the following address:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/rail/passenger/publicregister/current/lser/lsernational.pdf

Third Sector

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department has taken to support the Big Society initiative.

Norman Baker: I refer the hon. Member to my answer given on 3 February 2011, Official Report, columns 876-77W.

West Coast Railway Line: Rolling Stock

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the costs and benefits that would arise from the introduction of double-deck passenger trains on the West Coast Mainline.

Theresa Villiers: In 2007, the Department for Transport asked Network Rail to carry out preliminary work to assess the case for longer or double deck trains as a way of providing additional capacity on the rail network. Due to the infrastructure changes that would be required, the report concluded that lengthening trains is a more cost-effective solution.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Biomass

Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made of the use of biomass in his Department’s renewable energy strategy.

Charles Hendry: The UK Renewable Energy Action Plan, published last summer, shows we expect the use of biomass in the UK heat and power sector to deliver around 6,085 ktoe (kilotonnes of oil equivalent) of renewable energy generation per year by 2020. This equates to biomass heat and electricity contributing around 30% of the renewable energy needed to meet the UK’s renewable energy target in 2020.

Climate Change: Arctic

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment has been made of the level of Arctic ice melt in the summer of 2011 in comparison to the summer of 2010.

Gregory Barker: Forecasts of the late summer Arctic sea ice minimum can only be made a few months ahead, so will not be available until June at the earliest. In 2010 summer sea ice was the third lowest since satellite records began in 1979. So far in 2011 the sea ice extent has continued to be significantly lower than the 1979 to 2000 average.

Dementia: Older People

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will amend the Simplified Route Map in section 2.10 of the draft National Policy Statement on Electricity Networks Infrastructure (EN-5) to take into account recent research into neurodegenerative diseases of old age.

Charles Hendry: The simplified route map in section 2.10 of the draft National Policy Statement on Electricity Networks Infrastructure (EN-5) is a visual representation of the decision making process to which the Infrastructure Planning Commission and other interested parties can refer when implementing Government policy with regard to Electric and Magnetic Fields associated with high voltage power lines and reflects the process outlined in the previous section. For these reasons, it would not be an appropriate place to take account of any new research on possible health effects.

Departmental Contracts

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what contracts his Department has with (a) advertising, (b) opinion polling and (c) marketing agencies or companies; and what the (i) scope, (ii) purpose and (iii) cost is of each such contract.

Gregory Barker: DECC currently has eight projects with ‘opinion polling’ agencies, including qualitative and quantitive research, budgeted at a total of £995,650 (ex VAT).
	Three of the projects have been designed to inform the development and rollout of Green Deal. Other contracts include projects to: benchmark energy use among householders; evaluate the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target; evaluate the Low Carbon Communities Challenge; inform DECC’s stakeholder relationships; and shape the my2050 energy pathways game and schools’ toolkit. Agencies include IPSOS Mori, GfK NOP, and Quadrangle. DECC has no contracts with advertising or marketing agencies.
	Details of current contracts with research agencies are shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Agency Type (e.g. Advertising, Opinion Polling/Research, Marketing) Scope Purpose Budget (ex VAT) (£) 
			 GfK NOP Research Survey of members of the public To inform the rollout of the Green Deal 140,000 
			 IPSOS Mori Research Qualitative research with home owners (including vulnerable groups) and SMEs To inform various features of the Green Deal 81,940 
			 Quadrangle Research Qualitative research with domestic and non-domestic tenants and landlords Identifying how best to engage the Private Rented Sector in the Green Deal and drive demand 59,800 
			 IPSOS Mori Research Statistical analysis to create benchmarks To create credible benchmarks for energy use among households 68,000 
			 IPSOS Mori with CAG Consulting and BRE Research Policy evaluation of the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) To assess how the scheme is being delivered in practice, and examine take-up by householders. 135,000 
			 GfK NOP Research This is a two year contract covering years 2009-10 and 2010-11. Covers households in 22 Low Carbon Community Challenge regions and five control areas, plus a nationally representative sample To evaluate the impact of the LCCC projects 397,000 
			 IPSOS Mori Research Survey of 250 of DECC’s stakeholders To inform stakeholder relationships. 24,750 
			 IPSOS Mori Research Deliberative fora including pilot dialogues, my2050 ‘game’ feedback, and toolkit development These dialogues will help to shape the online digital assets and schools toolkit 89,160

Departmental Manpower

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many staff are employed full-time by his Department to undertake work on or relating to (a) nuclear energy, (b) coal, including carbon capture and storage, (c) natural gas, including carbon capture and storage, (d) renewable gas, biomethane injection, (e) solar photovoltaic, (f) onshore wind, (g) offshore wind, (h) wave and tidal, (i) deep geothermal, (j) solar thermal, (k) heat pumps, (l) biomass boilers and combined heat and power, (m) hydroelectric power, (n) biomass power and (o) anaerobic digestion; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change has teams that focus on particular groups of technologies. As of 1 February 2011, the number of staff working in the three low carbon offices were as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
			 Office of Nuclear Development 52 
			 Office for Renewable Energy Development 77 
			 Office for Carbon Capture and Storage 30 
		
	
	It is not possible to give more detailed numbers of staff for specific technologies within these broad areas as staff work across different policy areas within these teams.

Departmental Procurement

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many procurement projects with a monetary value greater than (a) £10 million, (b) £50 million and (c) £100 million (i) his Department and (ii) each non-departmental public body for which he is responsible was engaged upon in the latest period for which figures are available.

Gregory Barker: The information is as follows:
	(i) The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has tendered or awarded the following contracts since April 2009:
	(a) Projects with a monetary value of greater than £10 million:
	One contract has been let for legal support, advice and claims handling associated with the former British Coal Corporation.
	(b) Projects with a monetary value between £50 and £100 million:
	No contracts have been awarded and no projects are being tendered.
	(c) Projects with a monetary value of £100 million or more:
	One project is under tender for Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS).
	(ii) The Department’s non-departmental public bodies are engaged in the following contracts:
	(a) Projects with a monetary value of greater than £10 million:
	One contract has been let by the Coal Authority for a new corporate information system.
	A further project is currently being tendered by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority for facilities management services.
	(b) Projects with a monetary value between £50 and £100 million:
	No contracts have been awarded and no projects are being tendered.
	(c) Projects with a monetary value of £100 million or more:
	One project is currently being tendered by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority to appoint a Parent Body Organisation for the Dounreay Site Licence Company.

Departmental Procurement

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which procurement projects engaged upon by (a) his Department and (b) each non-departmental public body for which he is responsible had a designated senior responsible owner in the latest period for which figures are available; and on what date each officer was appointed in each such case.

Gregory Barker: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him today to question 45557: a £10 million threshold has been applied to this answer. To investigate smaller projects would incur disproportionate costs.
	(a) Projects engaged upon by the Department of Energy and climate Change (DECC):
	Contract for legal support, advice and claims handling associated with the former British Coal Corporation: A senior responsible officer (SRO) has been in place since August 2009.
	Project for Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS): SRO in place since May 2007.
	(b) Projects engaged upon by the Department’s non departmental public bodies:
	Contract for a new corporate information system for the Coal Authority: SRO in place since January 2008.
	Project by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority for facilities management services: This project is currently being tendered. No SRO is in place at the moment.
	Project under tender by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority to appoint a parent body organisation for the Dounreay Site Licence Company: SRO in place since July 2009.

Departmental Rail Travel

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many and what proportion of civil servants in his Department are entitled to travel first class by rail within the UK.

Gregory Barker: No Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) staff are automatically entitled to travel by first class rail on business within the UK. All staff are expected to use standard class unless there is a clear need for travelling by first for example:
	Where first class is cheaper than standard class
	Where there are no standard class seats left on the train
	Where there are no standard class facilities to accommodate disabled or other specials needs requirements
	Any first class rail travel must be approved by the relevant deputy director.

Departmental Scientists

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many and what proportion of senior civil servants employed directly by his Department hold degrees in a scientific discipline.

Gregory Barker: DECC does not hold this information centrally and to gather this would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold.

Departmental Written Questions

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what proportion of written questions tabled to him for answer on a named day did not receive a substantive answer on the day named for answer between 27 May 2010 and 9 March 2011.

Gregory Barker: During this period, 196 named day questions have been tabled to the Department. Of these, 152 (77%) were answered on the named day.

Devolution: Northern Ireland

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his special advisers on climate change have met representatives of (a) the Northern Ireland Executive and (b) other organisations in Northern Ireland since their appointment.

Gregory Barker: No.

Electricity Supply

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will provide guidance to National Grid on the application of the 1959 Holford Rules to electricity network infrastructure on overhead lines to ensure that where mitigation measures under these rules cannot be achieved the company is required to utilise other means of connection.

Charles Hendry: The Holford Rules are designed to help developers draw lines on the map when considering possible routes for overhead electricity lines in a way which is likely to have less, rather than more, adverse visual impact. They are not a basis for deciding whether a particular proposal is acceptable or not on landscape and visual grounds. The final decision will take account of all relevant factors, and therefore we do not believe that further guidance is needed.

Electricity Supply

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will discuss with National Grid the account taken by its consultation exercise on the revised approach to undergrounding cables of the results of the recent studies on the comparative costs of overhead lines, underground cables and sub-sea cable as means of connection of energy sources to the National Grid.

Charles Hendry: This consultation exercise is a commercial matter for National Grid. I understand that National Grid will consider all relevant studies, and envisages that the consultation will remain open for some time after the IET/KEMA study on the practicality, costs and impacts of undergrounding and subsea cabling as alternatives to overhead lines is published, so that findings can be taken into account.

Electricity Supply

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what planning and development control applies to the connection of electricity supply to the national grid via (a) overhead cables, (b) underground cables and (c) sub-sea cables; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Hendry: The Planning Act 2008 provides for applications for development consent in respect of nationally significant infrastructure projects (NSIPs) to be examined and decided by the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC), and for the Government to set out policy on the consenting of such projects in National Policy Statements. In the case of electricity network infrastructure, NSIPs are defined as overhead electricity lines whose nominal voltage is expected to be 132 kV or above. The Government intend to finalise and formally approve the energy National Policy Statements in spring 2011.
	Installation of underground cables is permitted development under the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order (1995) as amended. In view of these permitted development rights there is generally no need for proposals for the underground cable elements of a project to be caught by the Planning Act regime, although (in England) it would be possible for the developer to include aspects of an underground scheme other than the cable itself (such as sealing end compounds) in a Planning Act application as associated development. If the installation of an underground cable would be likely to have a significant effect on a site protected by the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2010, the developer would have to seek the approval of the local planning authority before proceeding to rely on general permitted development rights.
	Applications for sub-sea cables are considered by the Marine Management Organisation under the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 (FEPA)—to be superseded in April this year by a new marine licensing regime under the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009. The Infrastructure Planning Commission in England can consent a sub-sea cable as associated development if it forms part of the infrastructure for an offshore generating station by granting a deemed FEPA Licence or marine licence under (respectively) section 149 or 149(A) of the Planning Act.

Electricity Supply

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what account he has taken in his revised policy on the generation of power of the methods of the connection for that power to the national grid.

Charles Hendry: Much of the new low carbon electricity generation infrastructure (including many renewable technologies and nuclear generation) required to support the delivery of the UK’s climate change obligations and ensure energy security will need to be located in places where there is no existing transmission network infrastructure. Significant reinforcement of the electricity transmission network will therefore be required over the coming years to ensure this new generation can be connected, and the Government have taken this network expansion into account in the draft energy national policy statements. The impacts and costs of different connection methods, such as overhead lines and underground cables, will vary considerably from one project to another, and each project in England and Wales will therefore be assessed by the Infrastructure Planning Commission individually on the basis of its specific circumstances. The Government intend to finalise and formally approve the energy national policy statements in spring 2011.

Electricity Supply

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he plans to amend the draft Overarching Energy National Policy Statement (EN-1) and the draft National Policy Statement (EN-5) on Electricity Networks Infrastructure to ensure that overhead electricity lines are not vulnerable to terrorist attack.

Charles Hendry: The Government have in place a resilience programme to reduce the vulnerability of important national assets, including energy assets, to disruption either from natural hazards or other threats, including acts of terrorism.
	If the Government considered that there was an increased terrorist threat to power lines specifically, there is already scope within the national policy statement (EN-1) to address our concerns. Section 4.15 of EN-1 (as follows) incorporates the requirement for the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) and DECC to confirm to the Infrastructure Planning Commission that security issues have been given adequate consideration for any energy infrastructure where national security considerations have been identified. This requirement could apply to overhead lines as well as other energy infrastructure, so no changes to the NPS are necessary.
	Extract from EN-1
	4.15 Security considerations
	4.15.1 National security considerations apply across all national infrastructure sectors including energy. DECC has lead responsibility for security of the energy sector. It works closely with Government security services including the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) to reduce the vulnerability of the most ‘critical’ infrastructure assets in the sector to terrorism and other national security threats. The Office for Civil Nuclear Security (OCNS) is the security regulator for the UK’s civil nuclear industry.
	4.15.2 Government policy is to ensure that, where possible, proportionate protective security measures are designed into new infrastructure projects at an early stage in the project development. Where applications for development consent for infrastructure covered by this NPS relate to potentially ‘critical’ infrastructure, there may be national security considerations.
	4.153 DECC will be notified at pre-application stage about every likely future application for energy NSIPs, so that any national security implications can be identified. Where national security implications have been identified, the applicant should consult with relevant security experts from CPNI, OCNS and DECC to ensure that physical, procedural and personnel security measures have been adequately considered in the design process and that adequate consideration has been given to the management of security risks. If CPNI, OCNS and/or DECC are satisfied that security issues have been adequately addressed in the project when the application is submitted to the IPC, it will provide confirmation of this to the IPC. The IPC should not need to give any further consideration to the details of the security measures in its examination.
	4.15.4 The applicant should only include sufficient information in the application as is necessary to enable the IPC to examine the development consent issues and make a properly informed decision on the application.
	4.15.5 In exceptional cases, where examination of an application would involve public disclosure of information about defence or national security which would not be in the national interest, the Secretary of State can intervene and examine a part or the whole of the application. In that case, the Secretary of State may appoint an examiner to consider evidence in closed session, and the Secretary of State would be the decision maker for the application.

Electromagnetic Fields: Leukaemia

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will amend the draft National Policy Statement on Electricity Networks Infrastructures (EN-5) in accordance with the recent International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection’s guidelines for limiting exposure to time-varying electric and magnetic fields (1 Hz to 100 kHz) in respect of childhood leukaemia.

Charles Hendry: The Department of Health is responsible for the assessment of risks to human health from electric and magnetic fields (EMFs), and they in turn advise other Departments including DECC.
	New guidance for 1 Hz to 100 kHz was published by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) in December 2010. However, Government policy remains that we apply the 1998 ICNIRP guidelines in terms of the 1999 European Union (EU) recommendation for public exposure levels to EMFs. If the EU decides to revise its recommendation to member states based on the new 2010 ICNIRP guidance, then at that time the Department of Health will consider how that affects UK policy. If this policy changes as a result of the recommendation we will then look to review EN-5 to ensure that it is still relevant.

Environment Protection

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what policy outcomes to promote growth in environmentally friendly industries his Department (a) has developed and (b) plans to develop following the Green Breakfast meeting with ministerial colleagues hosted by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs on 8 March 2011; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: The Green Breakfast meeting is an informal working group, hosted by the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It considers practical issues related to the Government’s commitment to deliver sustainable growth. Cabinet Committees remain the place for policy decisions to be made.
	The Department is working closely with DEFRA and BIS on a ‘Roadmap for a Green Economy’ to be published in the spring. This will set out for a business audience the Coalition Government’s policy framework for growing the green economy.

Environment Protection: Job Creation

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what definition of the term green job his Department uses.

Mark Prisk: I have been asked to reply.
	While there is no fixed definition of a green job, it should include jobs created, particularly in the low carbon, renewable and environmental goods and services sector, as well as jobs that change in line with sectors undergoing transformation through a greening of the economy. Data commissioned by BIS estimates that in 2008-09 the low carbon environmental goods and services sector in the UK employed around 910,000 people.

Environment Protection: Job Creation

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of green jobs created since May 2010;
	(2)  what information his Department holds on the number of green jobs created since May 2010 in each (a) company and (b) region.

Mark Prisk: I have been asked to reply.
	The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) does not hold data on the number of green jobs created since May 2010.
	Data commissioned by BIS estimates that in 2008-09 the low carbon environmental goods and services sector in the UK was made up of 52,260 companies and employed 910,000 people. Employment estimates by region are:
	
		
			 Region Employment 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 67,688 
			 West Midlands 74,069 
			 Wales 40,838 
			 South West 75,828 
			 South East 116,913 
			 Scotland 76,041 
			 North West 89,671 
			 North East 37,661 
			 Northern Ireland 30,874 
			 London 156,576 
			 East of England 82,778 
			 East Midlands 60,845

Green Investment Bank: Scotland

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many meetings he has had with the Secretary of State for Scotland on the Green Investment Bank; and on which date each meeting took place.

Gregory Barker: The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, my right hon. Friend the Member for Eastleigh (Chris Huhne), meets regularly with Cabinet colleagues, including the Secretary of State for Scotland, my right hon. Friend the Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (Michael Moore). The Green Investment Bank is one of many topics discussed at these meetings.

Hydrogen: Nanotechnology

Steven Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will assess the potential effects of developments in hydrogen storage at ambient pressures and temperatures using nano-structures on (a) road vehicles, (b) ships, (c) aircraft, (d) offshore wind turbines and (e) portable devices; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Hendry: Hydrogen is one of a number of potential future, low carbon solutions in which the Government are interested.
	The development of low cost hydrogen storage methods coupled with low cost methods of making clean or green hydrogen could make hydrogen an interesting proposition for a wide range of transport and energy applications.
	We believe this is inspired by Cella Energy Ltd who recently won the Shell Springboard 2011 competition for innovation.
	Their invention uses nanotechnology to store hydrogen in microbeads. They claim that when these beads are heated they produce energy which could fuel cars, lorries, ships or planes.

Liquefied Natural Gas: Security

Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made of the security of liquefied natural gas operations.

Charles Hendry: In 2010, provisional figures show that liquefied natural gas (LNG) accounted for 35% of UK gas imports, or around 16% of gross demand. The majority (around three quarters) of LNG imports came from Qatar, with the remainder largely sourced from Trinidad and Tobago, Algeria, and Norway.
	DECC assesses that there is not currently a significant risk of disruption to LNG operations in the above countries, or to major shipping routes. LNG operations and shipping through the Suez canal have continued uninterrupted throughout the recent unrest in Egypt and Tunisia, and LNG infrastructure is well protected. The UK has low direct dependence for gas on countries in the middle east and north Africa (MENA) region, and any loss of LNG supplies from MENA countries could be replaced by alternate sources. This analysis is regularly reviewed.
	In terms of the security and resilience of LNG operations in the UK, the Government have in place a resilience programme to reduce the vulnerability of important national assets, including energy assets, to disruption either from natural hazards or other threats, including acts of terrorism. Working with the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI), Dyfed-Powys and Kent police, as well as the operators of these facilities, we ensure our collective response remains proportionate to the risk.
	The Government also have robust plans in place, together with energy companies, the police and other emergency services, to deal with an energy emergency in the UK.

Nuclear Power

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department holds records of the number of local authorities which operate nuclear-free zones.

Charles Hendry: The Department does not hold records of the number of local authorities which operate nuclear free zones.

Solar Power

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will benchmark the UK’s performance on the use of solar photovoltaics against other EU member states.

Gregory Barker: The UK is a member of the International Energy Agency Photovoltaic Power Systems (PVPS) programme, which includes other EU members states. The annual report includes information on PV developments in each of the 24 participating countries. The 2010 annual report is about to be released and further information is available on the PVPS website at:
	http://www.iea-pvps.org/

Solar Power

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what proportion of the UK’s renewable energy he expects to come from solar photovoltaics generation in (a) 2011, (b) 2015, (c) 2020, (d) 2025 and (e) 2030.

Gregory Barker: The proportion of renewable energy predicted to come from solar photovoltaics is given in the following table. The current feed-in tariff scheme provides support from 2010-20, therefore, the following table only provides figures out to 2020. The estimates are consistent with figures produced for the UK National Action Plan
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/what_we_do/uk_supply/energy_mix/renewable/ored/ukaction_plan/uk_action_plan.aspx
	
		
			 Percentage renewable energy from solar photovoltaics 
			  Percentage 
			 2011 <0.5 
			 2015 1 
			 2020 1 
			 Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 0.5%. 2. Projections for solar photovoltaics uptake are consistent with analysis undertaken for the final impact assessment for feed-in tariffs, see: http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/consultation/elec_financial/elec_financial.aspx for further information. Figures have not been provided beyond 2020 as estimates are not available on the same basis as the estimates for 2010-20.

Solar Power

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what meetings (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have had with their counterparts in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on the (i) economic and (ii) employment opportunities in the solar photovoltaic sector; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: DECC and BIS Ministers have regular discussions on a range of issues which includes economic and employment opportunities in the solar photovoltaic sector.

Solar Power: Feed-in Tariffs

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will consider financial incentives for solar photovoltaics other than feed-in tariffs.

Gregory Barker: Solar Photovoltaics can already qualify for the feed-in tariff or for the renewables obligation. As a microgenerating technology, they also qualify for a lower rate of VAT on domestic installations. We have no current plans to introduce further financial incentives.

Solar Power: Feed-in Tariffs

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what timetable he has set for the fast track review of the feed-in-tariff for solar photovoltaics.

Gregory Barker: We will be launching the fast-track consultation this month. The fast-track review is subject to consultation and parliamentary scrutiny as required by the Energy Act 2008. We intend to bring clarity and certainty to the market as soon as possible and envisage this process to be completed by summer recess.

Vinyl Acetate

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department has made an assessment of the effect on the environment of (a) importing vinyl acetate produced from shale gas in the US and (b) using vinyl acetate made in Europe through other means; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Hendry: The Department has not made an assessment of the relative effect on the environment of importing vinyl acetate produced from shale gas in the US and using vinyl acetate made in Europe through other means.

Wind Power: Feed-in Tariffs

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans he has for the future of renewable energy feed-in tariffs for wind turbines.

Charles Hendry: The first comprehensive review of the feed-in tariffs (FITs) scheme is currently under way in which all aspects of the scheme will be considered including tariff levels and eligible technologies.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Departmental Manpower

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Attorney-General how many staff the Attorney-General's Office expects to employ at the end of (a) March 2011 and (b) each subsequent financial year in the comprehensive spending review period.

Dominic Grieve: The Attorney-General's Office currently employs 41 staff. There are no current plans to change this number during the comprehensive spending review period.

Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Attorney-General how much the Law Officers’ Departments have spent on (a) salaries and (b) pension entitlements for special advisers in the financial year 2010-11 to date.

Edward Garnier: Nothing.

Departmental Procurement

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Attorney-General which procurement projects engaged upon by (a) the Law Officers’ Departments and (b) the agency for which he is responsible had a designated senior responsible owner in the latest period for which figures are available; and on what date that officer was appointed in each such case.

Dominic Grieve: During the financial year 2009-10, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) was engaged in two procurement projects that had a designated senior responsible owner (SRO). The first project was for the
	extension of the Department’s existing private finance initiative (PFI) contract for information and communications technology (ICT) services. The second project was led by the CPS on behalf of a number of prosecuting agencies for the procurement of electronic presentation of evidence (EPE) services.
	The senior responsible owner was appointed at the start of each project.
	During the financial year 2010-11 to date, the CPS has been engaged in no further procurement projects for which a designated SRO was appointed.
	The Treasury solicitors routinely appoint SRO’s to be responsible for the delivery of major projects as part of its normal project governance arrangements. SRO’s are appointed at the start of projects.
	During the 2010-11 period, three projects were subject to routine reports to the Department’s board, each project had a designated SRO:
	1. Development of a case management system (SRO appointed in December 2007)
	2. Renewal of the legal information online (LION) site for the Government Legal Service (SRO appointed in December 2009)
	3. Development of a disaster recovery site for the Department (SRO appointed in August 2009), Project completed December 2010.
	The remaining Law Officers’ Departments have not engaged upon any major procurement projects requiring a designated SRO during the last two years.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Attorney-General what the (a) resource and (b) capital budget of the Attorney-General's Office (i) is in 2010-11 and (ii) will be in each year of the comprehensive spending review period.

Dominic Grieve: The Attorney-General's Office resource and capital budgets are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 £ 
			  Resource Capital 
			 2010-11 4,477,000 100,000 
			 2011-12 4,500,000 100,000 
			 2012-13 4,500,000 100,000 
			 2013-14 4,500,000 100,000 
			 2014-15 4,500,000 100,000

Departmental Public Expenditure

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Attorney-General under what budget headings reductions in expenditure will be made by the Attorney-General's Office following the outcome of the comprehensive spending review; and by how much expenditure will be reduced under each heading.

Dominic Grieve: The Attorney-General's Office reduced costs during 2010-11 in preparation for the comprehensive spending review.
	The annual budget reductions achieved were a reduction of circa £895,000 in staff costs, a reduction of approximately £75,000 for ministerial cars and a reduction of approximately £300,000 in accommodation costs.
	AGO will continue to identify efficiencies throughout the CSR period particularly taking up opportunities to renegotiate contracts to drive down cost and increase value for money.

Departmental Redundancy

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Attorney-General 
	(1)  how much funding the Attorney-General's Office has allocated to redundancy costs in each financial year from 2011-12 to 2014-15;
	(2)  how much funding the Attorney-General's Office has allocated to redundancy costs in 2010-11;
	(3)  how much the Attorney-General's Office has spent on redundancy costs in 2010-11 to date;
	(4)  how many staff the Attorney-General's Office has made redundant in 2010-11 to date; and from what roles staff have been made redundant;
	(5)  how many staff the Attorney-General's Office expects to make (a) voluntarily and (b) compulsorily redundant in each financial year from 2011-12 to 2014-15; and from what roles such staff are expected to be made redundant;
	(6)  how many staff the Attorney-General's Office expects to make (a) voluntarily and (b) compulsorily redundant in 2010-11; and from what roles such staff are expected to be made redundant.

Dominic Grieve: The Attorney-General's Office have not made any staff redundant in 2010-11 and do not expect to make any staff redundant from 2011-12 to 2014-15. The Attorney-General's Office has not allocated any funding to redundancy costs in the period 2010 to 2015.

Departmental Regulation

Gordon Banks: To ask the Attorney-General what regulations the Law Officers’ Departments introduced between 9 and 28 February 2011.

Edward Garnier: None. The Law Officers’ Departments seldom have any reason to introduce new regulations.

DNA: Databases

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Attorney-General what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the potential effects on rape conviction rates of proposals to change the length of time for which DNA of suspects is retained.

Dominic Grieve: There have been no such discussions. The Crown Prosecution Service prosecutes cases investigated by the police and applies the Code for Crown Prosecutors in making changing decisions.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Children: Maintenance

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many resident parents in Livingston constituency use the Child Support Agency and the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission to enforce child maintenance payment arrangements.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	Letter from Stephen Geraghty
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many resident parents in Livingston constituency use the Child Support Agency and the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission to enforce child maintenance payment arrangements.
	The number of live and assessed cases currently being handled by the Child Support Agency where the parent with care lives in Livingston parliamentary constituency is 2,700 in the quarter ending December 2010. This includes cases where the non-resident parent has a liability to pay child maintenance or ongoing child maintenance. The figure also includes cases where arrears of child maintenance have been requested from the non-resident parent, or the non-resident parent has been assessed as not owing child maintenance.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Council Tax Benefits

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he expects to place constraints on the (a) taper rate and (b) other features of the future council tax benefit scheme offered by local authorities.

Bob Neill: I have been asked to reply.
	Promoting work incentives is at the heart of the programme of welfare reform. In developing their plans for a new system for local council tax rebate schemes, the Government have been clear that the changes should support the positive work incentives that will be introduced through the Government’s plans on universal credit. A full consultation on the new system in England will be undertaken in due course.

Departmental Billing

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of invoices from suppliers his Department paid within 10 days of receipt in January and February 2011.

Chris Grayling: The Department for Work and Pensions became a signatory to the Prompt Payment Code in March 2009 and set a target to pay 90% of correct invoices within 10 days of receipt. This target applies to all invoices paid by the department and its agencies which are covered by a single finance system. The target has been met consistently since the signing of the code.
	The percentage of all supplier payments made within 10 days of receipt of an invoice for the requested months are:
	
		
			  Percentage 
			 January 2011 98 
			 February 2011 96

Departmental Public Expenditure

Pat McFadden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent on newspapers and magazines since May 2010.

Chris Grayling: Information on the amount spent on newspapers and magazines for the nine months from May 2010 is as follows.
	
		
			 Period Newspaper/magazine spend (£) 
			 May 2010 to January 2011 20,173.07 
		
	
	Information on the amount spent on newspapers and magazines for the nine months from May 2009 to January 2010 as a comparative figure is as follows.
	
		
			 Period Newspaper/magazine spend (£) 
			 May 2009 to January 2010 29,712.54 
		
	
	This represents a 32% reduction in expenditure.
	The Department is reviewing all expenditure with a view to driving out inefficiencies and delivering value for money for the taxpayer.

Disability Living Allowance

David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Loughborough of 16 February 2011, Official Report, column 809W, on disability living allowance, 
	(1)  which claimants of disability living allowance will be re-assessed for eligibility for the personal independence payment;
	(2)  what differences there will be between the assessment for the disability living allowance and the assessment for the personal independence payment;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the re-assessment of those transferring from disability living allowance to personal independence payment.

Maria Miller: Eligibility for disability living allowance is based on care and mobility needs. The current assessment for disability living allowance is subjective and inconsistent. We want to ensure support is targeted on those disabled people who are most impacted by their health condition or impairment. Personal independence payment will support disabled people to lead full, active and independent lives and the assessment will consider their ability to carry out a range of key day-to-day activities. We are developing the assessment with a group of independent specialists in health, social care and disability. It is still being developed and the detailed criteria will be set out in regulations.
	From 2013-14 we will begin a managed programme to reassess the existing DLA working-age caseload and transfer people to personal independence payment. We want to use the experience of reassessing the working-age caseload to inform any future decisions on arrangements for children and people aged over 65.
	The costs of implementing a new benefit will depend on the detail of how the benefit is delivered and the design of the new assessment. Costs will be refined as
	further detail on the reform is developed. The disability living allowance reform impact assessment, published on 16 February 2011, estimated approximate high level costs to be £675 million over five years (real terms, net present value). These include provision for making changes to the IT systems, training DWP staff, the administrative effort required to manage the transition of existing recipients to the new system and the cost of independent health care professionals undertaking the new assessment. As the new assessment for personal independence payment and the process for reassessing the existing DLA case load are still being developed, I am unable, at this stage, to provide a precise estimate for the cost of reassessment alone.
	The disability living allowance reform impact assessment can be found at:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/dla-reform-wr2011-ia.pdf

Employment Schemes

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to help people move from jobseekers' allowance into secure employment.

Chris Grayling: The Government are putting in place a much more flexible, personalised approach to helping people back into work, which begins with Jobcentre Plus. From April 2011 the support that Jobcentre Plus delivers to customers across all working age benefits (JSA, ESA and IS) is changing. Jobcentre Plus managers and advisers will have more flexibility to judge which interventions will help its customers, tailored to personal and local labour market needs. To support this Jobcentre Plus are introducing a suite of measures bringing together communities, the voluntary sector, business people and employers, to help get people back to work.
	The Government are also implementing a new Work Programme from this summer, which will help a wide range of customers move into sustained employment. Work programme providers will not be required to deliver centrally specified support, which may be inappropriate for many customers, but instead will be given the freedom to innovate and develop personalised support. In return for this freedom, they will be paid on the basis of the results they achieve. We will offer providers higher rewards for supporting harder-to-help customers into employment, to ensure that it is worthwhile for providers to help all customer groups. We will also reward providers for keeping customers in employment, to help meet our aim for sustained employment outcomes.
	Jobseeker's allowance customers will become eligible for the Work Programme from 12 months into their claim if they are aged 25 years or over, from nine months into their claim if they are aged 18 to 24, and from three months into their claim if they are disadvantaged in the labour market.

Housing Benefit

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what impact assessment he has carried out in respect of the proposed benefit cap of £26,000 per household.

Chris Grayling: The Spending Review 2010 announced that household benefit payments would be capped from 2013 at around £500 per week for couple and lone parent households and around £350 per week for single adult households. War widows, households which include a member who is in receipt of disability living allowance or constant attendance allowance, and working households claiming the working tax credit will be exempt from the cap.
	Analysis of the impact of the household cap on total benefit income was published in the impact assessment which accompanied the introduction of Welfare Reform Bill.
	If the benefit cap were applied in full we estimate that around 50,000 households will have their benefits reduced by the policy. Households whose benefit is reduced as a result of the cap on total benefit income will lose on average around £93 per week.
	Those affected most will generally be households with large numbers of children living in high rent areas. The vast majority (around 90%) will have children. Roughly 35% will be couples. Around 60% will be single women, almost all of whom are likely to be lone parents.
	We are looking at ways of easing the transition for families and providing assistance in hard cases.

Housing Benefit

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the likely level of savings which will accrue as a result of the proposed cap on the level of household benefits.

Chris Grayling: The spending review 2010 announced that household benefit payments would be capped from 2013 at around £500 per week for couple and lone parent households and around £350 per week for single adult households. War widows, households which include a member who is in receipt of disability living allowance or constant attendance allowance, and working households claiming the working tax credit will be exempt from the cap.
	If the benefit cap were applied in full, as described in the supporting documentation for the spending review 2010 the savings to the Exchequer are estimated to be £225 million in 2013-14 and £270 million in 2014-15.
	We are looking at ways of easing the transition for families and providing assistance in hard cases.

Housing Benefit

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has made an assessment of the likely effects on (a) family structure and (b) levels of family breakdown in the geographical areas most affected by the proposed cap on the level of household benefits.

Chris Grayling: No assessment has been made of the likely effects on (a) family structure and (b)levels of family breakdown as a result of the household cap on total benefit income.
	We are looking at ways of easing the transition for families and providing assistance in hard cases.

Housing Benefit

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has made an assessment of the likely effects of the proposed cap on the level of benefits on families of four children or more in black and minority ethnic communities.

Maria Miller: If the benefit cap were applied in full a large proportion of those affected by the benefit cap are likely to be large families, suggesting that households from cultural backgrounds with a high prevalence of large families will be affected.
	Based on internal modelling using the Department for Work and Pension’s Policy Simulation Model, we estimate that of the households that are likely to be affected by the cap approximately 30% of them will contain somebody who is from an ethnic minority.
	Analysis of the impact of the household cap on total benefit income was published in the Impact Assessment which accompanied the introduction of Welfare Reform Bill. Analysis of the likely effects on ethnic minorities has been included in the equality impact assessment which was published on the Department for Work and Pension’s website.
	We are looking at ways of easing the transition for families and providing assistance in hard cases.
	Note:
	Percentages are rounded to the nearest 10%.

Housing Benefit

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he plans to take to provide support for households affected by the proposed benefits cap.

Chris Grayling: When someone in a household enters work and begins to receive working tax credit they will no longer be subject to the benefit cap.
	We are putting in place the Work Programme, which will give unemployed people unprecedented levels of personal support to get them into the workplace and barriers to work will finally be broken down.
	We will ensure that the full range of options for people facing a shortfall in their rent remain accessible, from renegotiating their rent levels through to applying to their local authority for assistance in obtaining alternative accommodation, and that people are encouraged to consider these options.
	We are looking at ways of easing the transition for families and providing assistance in hard cases.

Independent Living Fund

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the closure of the independent living fund on the ability of local authorities to respond to changes in demands for their services.

Maria Miller: The independent living fund is a discretionary trust and payments from the fund do not take precedence over the responsibility of the local authority to make an assessment of a user's needs. Local authorities have the statutory responsibility to provide social care support to their residents and as part of this responsibility they will need to consider the requirements of people who may otherwise have received an additional package from the independent living fund. However, although there was no requirement for the Department to undertake an assessment, it did discuss the changes to the independent living fund with disability organisations, local government representatives and colleagues in the Department of Health.
	Findings from the planned independent living fund consultation will help inform future decisions around social care investment and distribution to ensure that people receive the care and support suitable for their needs.

Personal Income

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the distribution of shared income between couples living in the same household; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: In line with international best practice, the methodology for the main analysis of the income distribution, the Households Below Average Income series, measures the living standards of an individual as determined by household income. This assumes that all members of a household benefit equally from the household's income, and will therefore appear at the same position in the income distribution.
	Research has suggested that, particularly in low-income households, the above assumption with regard to income sharing within couples is not always valid as men sometimes benefit at the expense of women from shared household income.
	The Government are aware of recent research which analyses the distribution of income within families. The extent of pooling of resources between partners in a couple, division of responsibility for different types of expenditure and how this affects welfare of dependents in the household have been investigated by external researchers.
	Recent research that has been completed includes:
	Written evidence has been submitted to the Work and Pensions committee regarding the White Paper on universal credit by Fran Bennett and Ruth Lister:
	http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmselect/cmworpen/writev/whitepap/contents.htm
	Research in relation to tax credits:
	Hall & Pettigrew (2008) “Exploring the Key Influences on the Tax Credits Claimant Population” HMRC Research Report 49:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/research/report-49-final.pdf
	In the United Kingdom in 2008-09, less than 0.5% of households contained more than one couple.
	Notes:
	1. The data on household composition is sourced from the Family Resources Survey, the data source for the Households Below Average Income series. The reference period for the survey is a single financial year.
	2. A couple is defined as two adults, of same or different sex, who are married (spouse), or from January 2006 in a civil partnership (partner), or are assumed to be living together as such (cohabitee).

Remploy: Voluntary Redundancy

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assistance is available to explain the voluntary redundancy scheme to employees of Remploy with learning disabilities, who have been offered voluntary redundancy.

Maria Miller: Remploy has clear responsibilities towards their employers and have in place a guaranteed tailored support package for all employees including those with
	learning disabilities. This support includes internal and external advice and training available online, by telephone or face to face. This support includes:
	easy-read information providing a step-by-step guide to the voluntary redundancy scheme and the support available;
	one to one sessions with factory managers;
	access to a free Employment Assistance programme, providing a range of advice on financial, legal and benefits issues;
	information provided to nominated family or friends where the employee has requested this.
	Source:
	Remploy

Social Security Benefits

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether a couple with children working between 16 and 23 hours per week will have their benefit payments capped at £500 per week following the implementation of changes to working tax credit eligibility criteria proposed in the comprehensive spending review.

Chris Grayling: As the spending review announced, households which contain a member who is in receipt of working tax credit will be exempt from the cap. We are still considering the precise criteria for an equivalent exemption under universal credit.
	In addition, war widows and households that contain a member who is in receipt of disability living allowance or constant attendance allowance will also be exempt from the benefit cap.
	We are looking at ways of easing the transition for families and providing assistance in hard cases.

Social Security Benefits

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which benefits he plans to include within his proposed cap on benefit entitlement; and which benefits will not be included within that cap.

Chris Grayling: We are introducing a cap on the total amount of benefit that working-age people can receive so households on out of work benefits will no longer receive more in benefit than the average weekly wage earned by working families.
	The benefits to be included in the benefit cap will be set out in regulations following the passage of the Welfare Reform Bill.
	The Bill proposes that all benefits may be included in the cap apart from state pension credit and state retirement pensions.
	However, we have announced that there will be exemptions for war widows and widowers and households that include a member who is entitled to disability living allowance, constant attendance allowance or working tax credit.

Social Security Benefits

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has made an assessment of the likelihood of households separating as a result of the implementation of a cap on benefit entitlement.

Chris Grayling: We are introducing a cap on the total amount of benefit that working-age people can receive so households on out of work benefits will no longer receive more in benefit than the average weekly wage earned by working families.
	No assessment has been made of the likelihood of households separating as a result of the implementation of a cap on benefit entitlement.
	We are looking at ways of easing the transition for families and providing assistance in hard cases.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Natascha Engel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects to publish a consultation on the proposed regulations to implement sections 27 and 28 of the Child Maintenance and Other Payments Act 2008 on administrative disqualification for holding or obtaining travel authorisation and curfew orders.

Maria Miller: No date has yet been confirmed, however, I do not expect this to be prior to the introduction of the new statutory child maintenance scheme.

Social Security Benefits: Public Expenditure

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assumptions his Department made in its projections for the number of people claiming benefits over the comprehensive spending review period.

Chris Grayling: Numbers of people receiving benefits over the comprehensive spending review period, consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility's ‘Economic and Fiscal Outlook’, published on 29 November 2010, are given the following table.
	Key assumptions underpinning these forecasts are provided in the OBR ‘Economic and Fiscal Outlook’, and the associated OBR ‘Briefing Paper No 1: Forecasting the Public Finances’.
	
		
			 Forecasts of numbers of people receiving benefits, Great Britain, 2010-11 to 2015-16 
			 Thousand 
			  2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 
			 Working age benefits        
			 Widow's/bereavement benefits 93 88 84 80 77 74 
			 Jobseeker's allowance (contribution-based) 235 248 235 215 204 190 
			 Incapacity benefit (payments) 1,051 794 414 89 — — 
			 Incapacity benefit—credits only 774 603 344 125 — — 
			 Employment and support allowance (contribution-based) 258 416 504 559 581 430 
			 Maternity allowance 55 55 55 55 56 56 
		
	
	
		
			 Severe disablement allowance 190 182 175 158 4 — 
			 Industrial injuries disablement benefit 260 257 253 249 246 242 
			 Reduced earnings allowance/retirement allowance 116 112 108 104 100 97 
			 Industrial death benefit 7 6 6 5 5 4 
			 Income support 1,736 1,414 1,074 810 697 705 
			 Jobseeker's allowance (income-based) 1,073 1,070 1,011 938 866 790 
			 Employment and support allowance (income-based) 297 441 761 1,069 1,310 1,381 
			 Housing benefit 3,223 3,221 3,195 3,157 3,160 3,159 
			 Council tax benefit 3,142 3,113 3,074 3,025 3,024 3,015 
			        
			 Pensioner benefits        
			 Basic state pension (excluding category D) 12,509 12,644 12,795 12,892 12,993 13,054 
			 Widow's/bereavement benefits 11 7 5 3 2 1 
			 Basic state pension (Category D) 28 29 30 31 32 34 
			 Severe disablement allowance 58 57 56 54 52 50 
			 Winter fuel payments 12,715 12,589 12,473 12,356 12,228 12,088 
			 Over-75 TV licence 4,195 4,273 4,358 4,451 4,547 4,639 
			 Pension credit 2,692 2,564 2,493 2,421 2,354 2,311 
			 Housing benefit 1,542 1,500 1,450 1,404 1,373 1,337 
			 Council tax benefit 2,632 2,572 2,504 2,432 2,385 2,331 
			        
			 Disability related benefits        
			 Attendance allowance 1,635 1,652 1,674 1,697 1,719 1,742 
			 Disability living allowance 3,214 3,291 3,346 3,266 3,144 3,121 
			 Carer's allowance 566 587 600 615 629 644 
			 Note:  Figures for Over 75 TV Licences include Northern Ireland. Figures for all other benefits also include recipients who are resident outside the United Kingdom. Source: DWP forecasts underlying the OBR ‘Economic and Fiscal Outlook’ and published at: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/index.php?page=expenditure

Universal Credit

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with what frequency universal credit will be paid to claimants.

Chris Grayling: Universal credit will offer a substantially better service to our customers, with regular payments that will help them to budget. In line with this and the need for consistency with the real-time earnings approach that we propose, we are considering whether the frequency of payments should be monthly.
	We recognise that many people on low incomes will be used to managing with fortnightly payments of benefits and will ensure that, whatever the period of payment we put in place, there will be appropriate budgeting support for claimants. We want people to be able to manage their financial affairs in a manner that best reflects the demands of modern life, whether in or out of work.

Universal Credit

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to paragraph 59 of his Department's impact assessment on universal credit, how many second earners he expects to reduce the number of hours worked as a consequence of higher participation rates.

Chris Grayling: We are not able to provide an estimate of the number of second earners who will reduce their hours worked as a consequence of higher participation rates. We are currently considering whether there is a way of robustly estimating these effects.
	Overall we expect the number of workless households to fall as a result of improved incentives to work under universal credit.

Universal Credit

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to paragraph 44 of his Department's impact assessment on universal credit, for how long he plans to provide transitional protection to households whose entitlement will be reduced following the introduction of universal credit.

Chris Grayling: We have given a commitment that no one will experience a reduction in the amount of benefit they receive as a direct result of the introduction of universal credit.
	In most cases, we expect that universal credit will provide a level of support that is the same as, or higher than, the current system. Transitional protection will be awarded if the entitlement is lower and the circumstances have not changed.
	Any cash protection awarded will be fixed at the point of claim and will remain in place until claimants' circumstances change or the universal credit entitlement exceeds the protected amount.

Universal Credit: Public Expenditure

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cumulative savings to his Department's annually managed expenditure which are attributable to policy decisions confirmed in (a) Budget 2010 and (b) the comprehensive spending review and which will be achieved prior to the implementation of universal credit.

Chris Grayling: The annually managed expenditure savings were set out in the June Budget and the Office of Budget Responsibility's autumn forecast, and will be updated as part of the forthcoming Budget.

Warm Home Discount Scheme

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 26 July 2010, Official Report, column 778W, on energy, when his Department expects to begin data-sharing with energy suppliers as part of the Warm Home discount scheme.

Steve Webb: We are currently working closely with DECC and energy suppliers to agree the detail of data sharing under the Warm Home Discount scheme. We expect to have the necessary regulations in place by summer 2011, subject to the parliamentary process. The first data matching exercise under the scheme is planned for winter 2011-12.

Winter Fuel Payments: British Nationals Abroad

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make it his policy to apply a means test to winter fuel payments to UK citizens living outside the UK.

Steve Webb: Winter fuel payments are paid to former UK residents living in the European economic area only if they qualified for a payment before leaving the UK.
	European Union law means that some benefits acquired in one member state must be paid to people when they move to another country within the European economic area. The same eligibility rules for winter fuel payments must apply to people who have moved to the EEA as in the UK.

JUSTICE

Animal Welfare: Convictions

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many persons were convicted of offences related to animal trafficking in each of the last four years.

Crispin Blunt: The number of defendants convicted at all courts for offences under the Control of Trade in Endangered Species (Enforcement) Regulations 1997, England and Wales, 2006 to 2009 (latest available) is given in the following table.
	Court proceedings data for 2010 are planned to be published in spring, 2011.
	
		
			 Number of defendants found guilty at all courts for offences related to endangered species trafficking, England and Wales, from 2006 to 2009   (1,2) 
			 Offence description 2006 2007 2008   (3) 2009 
			 Offences under the Control of Trade in Endangered Species (Enforcement) Regulations 1997 10 — 3 3 
			 (1) The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence Is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is Imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Excludes convictions for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice

Bail Hostels

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how much was paid by his Department to ClearSprings for the provision of bail beds between 2007 and the termination of the contract;
	(2)  whether ClearSprings was required to make any payments to his Department for breach of contract in the period from 2007 to 2010.

Crispin Blunt: ClearSprings completed a full three year contract for the provision of the Bail Accommodation and Support Service from 18 June 2007 to 17 June 2010. The company was paid £18.4 million over the life span of contract.
	ClearSprings was issued with a Rectification Notice in November 2009 for failure to comply with the terms of the contract for the Bail Accommodation and Support Service. The company addressed all the issues raised in the notice within prescribed time frames and no payment was required.

Bail Hostels

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many complaints were received by his Department about the conduct of the ClearSprings bail bed contract in the period from 2007 to 2010;
	(2)  how many complaints received by his Department about the ClearSprings bail bed contract related to (a) the behaviour of residents and (b) lack of supervision in the period from 2007 to 2010.

Crispin Blunt: I am unable to provide information about the number of complaints about ClearSprings as this could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The Ministry of Justice has received a substantial volume of correspondence about the Bail Accommodation and Support Service and it would require checking each item of correspondence separately to determine whether it was a complaint or not.

Bail Hostels

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many persons who were resident in ClearSprings properties during its contract to supply bail beds to the Ministry of Justice were arrested between 2007 and 2010.

Crispin Blunt: Information on how many arrests were made of defendants and offenders on home detention curfew while accommodated by ClearSprings cannot be obtained except at disproportionate cost. To answer this question would require us, the police and courts to conduct a manual search of the 5,846 cases that were referred to ClearSprings during the term of the contract.

Civil Proceedings: Legal Costs

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effects on access to justice for lower income groups of his Department's proposed changes to the civil litigation costs regime;
	(2)  what research his Department has undertaken on the effects of its proposed civil litigation costs regime on the propensity of individuals to make a legitimate claim for compensation in personal injury cases.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Ministry of Justice has not commissioned any specific research on the effect of the civil litigation proposals on the propensity of individuals to make legitimate claims for compensation in personal injury cases. It is not possible to make detailed estimates in this area, as this will depend, in part, on the individual decisions of claimants, defendants, lawyers and insurers on a case by case basis.
	Preliminary impact assessments were published alongside the consultation, ‘Proposals for Reform of Civil Litigation Funding and Costs in England and Wales—Implementation of Lord Justice Jackson's Proposals’, available at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/consultations/jackson-review-151110.htm
	The consultation closed on 14 February 2011. We are now considering the responses and data received. A final impact assessment will be published alongside the Government response later this spring.

Civil Proceedings: Legal Costs

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  with reference to paragraph 46 of his Department’s Green Paper on Proposals for Reform of Civil Litigation Funding and Costs in England and Wales, over what time period the calculations made on the effect of a 10 per cent. increase of general damages were based;
	(2)  with reference to paragraph 96 of his Department’s Green Paper on Proposals for Reform of Civil Litigation Funding and Costs in England and Wales, whether the estimate of a 10 per cent. uplift in general damages is based exclusively on applying 10 per cent. to those damages representing only pain suffering and loss of amenity.

Jonathan Djanogly: The increase was proposed by Lord Justice Jackson, as part of his package of reforms. The calculations on the effect of this proposal, by his economist assessor Professor Fenn, were based on data relating to general damages for claims settled between 2006 and 2009. It is intended that the proposed 10% increase would apply to non-pecuniary general damages such as in personal injury claims pain, suffering and loss of amenity.

Civil Proceedings: Legal Costs

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what discussions he has had on his Department's Green Paper on Proposals for Reform of Civil Litigation Funding and Costs in England and Wales since the end of the consultation period.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Secretary of State for Justice has not held any meetings with external interested parties specifically to discuss the Proposals for Reform of Civil Litigation Funding and Costs in England and Wales since the end of the consultation period. I met with the Access to Justice Action Group (AJAG) on 17 February, to discuss their response to the consultation.

Civil Proceedings: Legal Costs

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many responses have been received to the Green Paper consultation on Proposals for Reform of Civil Litigation Funding and Costs in England and Wales;
	(2)  when he expects to respond to the consultation on the Green Paper proposals for Reform of Civil Litigation Funding and Costs in England and Wales.

Jonathan Djanogly: The consultation Proposals for Reform of Civil Litigation Funding and Costs in England and Wales—Implementation of Lord Justice Jackson’s Proposals closed on 14 February 2011. Over 800 responses to the consultation were received; this includes responses via the online questionnaire, email and hard copy responses, and 255 campaign e-mails. We are now considering all responses, and will publish the Government response, setting out the way forward, later this spring.

Community Orders

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were sentenced to unpaid work as a condition of a supervision order in England and Wales in 2009-10; how many such sentences involved individual placements; and how many such sentences involved additional conditions.

Crispin Blunt: The number of all unpaid work community order requirements which commenced under probation service supervision in the year 2009 (latest available) is 76,699.
	The figures can be found in the published “Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2009”—table 3.9, a copy of which can be found in the Libraries of both Houses and which can be found at the following website:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/prisonandprobation.htm
	Statistics on individual placements sought for 2009-10 are not yet available as recordings for central statistical purposes were only introduced in April 2010.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Crimes of Violence: Victims

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the merits of informing victims of (a) domestic and (b) other violent attacks where the perpetrator has received a custodial sentence of less than one year of the date and location of the perpetrator's release.

Crispin Blunt: Under the Domestic Violence Crime and Victims Act 2004, victims of certain serious violent and sexual offences, where the offender receives a custodial sentence of 12 months or more, may elect to receive information about key developments in the offender's sentence through the Victim Contact Scheme operated by probation trusts. Such key information will include where offenders are moved to open conditions, where they are granted a work placement in the community for rehabilitation and the month of release from prison.
	Eligible victims are able to make representations about conditions which may be attached to the offender's licence on release and under probation supervision. They can, for example, request that the offender is excluded from a particular area, such as where they (the victims) live.
	The scheme is flexible enough to allow probation trusts, in exceptional circumstances, to provide key information to victims who do not meet the statutory criteria. Such circumstances might include, for example, domestic violence cases where the offender was given a sentence of less than 12 months, but where the victim wishes to opt in, even though such an offender would not be subject to licensed supervision.
	The statutory scheme provides for the available resources to be directed primarily towards the victims of the most serious violent or sexual offences, where the offender is to be on licensed supervision following release and where victims might make representations about licence conditions.
	However, there are other sources of support and advice for victims where the offender receives a short sentence. The police are notified of all prisoner releases by the National Offender Management Service and are, therefore, in a position to take appropriate action to protect victims who may be at risk and to support those who express concern about their personal safety. This could include notifying victims of an offender's release.
	For victims of domestic violence in particular, the police may arrange to manage the case through the Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC) process. It would be open to the MARAC to put in place measures to protect a victim or potential victim, including providing information about an offender's release.

Departmental Procurement

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many procurement projects with a monetary value greater than (a) £10 million, (b) £50 million and (c) £100 million (i) his Department and (ii) each non-departmental public body and agency for which he is responsible was engaged upon in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  which procurement projects engaged upon by (a) his Department and (b) each non-departmental public body and agency for which he is responsible had a designated senior responsible owner in the latest period for which figures are available; and on what date each officer was appointed in each such case.

Crispin Blunt: The number of procurement projects in 2009-10 and 2010-11 to date are:
	
		
			 Department name Monetary value greater than: Number of projects 
			 Ministry of Justice £10 million 2 
			  £50 million 1 
			  £100 million 2 
			    
			 National Offender Management Service £10 million 6 
			  £50 million 1 
			  £100 million 3 
			    
			 Land Registry £10 million 1 
			  £50 million 1 
			    
			 Tribunals Service £10 million 1 
		
	
	The following table is a list of procurement projects where an SRO has been appointed and includes date of appointment (approximate in some cases):
	
		
			 Department name Project name Date SRO appointed 
			 Ministry of Justice Minor Works Framework August 2009 
			 Ministry of Justice Estates Professional Services March 2010 
			 Ministry of Justice Construction and Construction related Works 17 July 2010 
			 National Offender Management Service Bail Accommodation and Support Services (BASS) 18 June 2010 
			 National Offender Management Service Prisoner Escort and Custody Services Competition 6 September 2010 
			 National Offender Management Service Prison Competitions Programme 21 February 2011 
			 Information Commissioner's Office Building Project November 2009 
		
	
	
		
			 Information Commissioner's Office Management Development December 2009 
			 Information Commissioner's Office Data User Information System Replacement April 2010 
			 Land Registry Accelerated Transformation Programme 27 November 2009 
			 Land Registry Facilities Management 27 November 2009 
			 Land Registry Regional File Stores Service 27 November 2009 
			 Tribunals Service Reinstatement of Field House July 2009

Knives: Crime

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of people convicted of encouraging violent behaviour involving the use of a knife under the Knives Act 1997 received (a) a fine and (b) a custodial sentence of (i) less than six months, (ii) between six and 12 months, (iii) between 12 and 18 months and (iv) between 18 and 24 months in (A) Suffolk, (B) Bedfordshire, (C) Cambridgeshire, (D) Essex, (E) Hertfordshire and (F) Norfolk in each year since the relevant provisions of the Act entered into force;
	(2)  how many people were found guilty of offences relating to the illegal sale and marketing of knives in (a) Suffolk, (b) Bedfordshire, (c) Cambridgeshire, (d) Essex, (e) Hertfordshire and (f) Norfolk in each year since 1997.

Crispin Blunt: There are no convictions for offences of encouraging violent behaviour involving the use of a knife or the illegal sale and marketing of knives under sections 1 and 2 of the Knives Act 1997 from data collated centrally by the Ministry of Justice for Suffolk, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire and Norfolk police force areas.
	Court proceedings data for 2010 will be available in the spring of 2011.

Legal Aid Scheme: Judicial Reviews

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 3 February 2011, Official Report, column 942W, on legal aid: prisoners, if he will direct the Legal Services Commission to break down expenditure on judicial reviews between practice areas.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Legal Services Commission's (LSC) costs for defending judicial reviews in the last financial year (2009-10) were £224,119. This represents the total costs of external legal advice for public law judicial reviews. The LSC does not hold a more detailed breakdown showing individual categories of law in an easily accessible format and therefore such a breakdown could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The costs to the legal aid fund of judicial review certificates in 2009-10, broken down by category of law for closed cases, are shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Case category Total (£)   (1) 
			 Community Care 2,078,470 
			 Education 668,153 
			 Housing 2,485 
			 Immigration 1,968,273 
			 Mental Health 2,703,841 
			 Miscellaneous 399,877 
			 Other Public Law Children 637,807 
			 Public Law 4,024,992 
			 Welfare Benefits 242,570 
			 Grand total 12,726,468 
			 (1)   ( )As is standard with closed case reporting, the following types of cases have been excluded: Cases where full or part of the cost is paid by the opponent. Cost of these cases would be at market rate and not the legal aid rate. Cases that are discharged or revoked, as they shouldn't have been issued in the first place. Cases with zero bills (where cost is equal to Auto POA or less than £10.) Dormant cases.

Legal Aid: Negligence

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how disbursements in clinical negligence cases will be funded when such cases are withdrawn from the scope of legal aid; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan Djanogly: The consultation documents “Proposals for the Reform of Legal Aid in England and Wales” and “Proposals for Reform of Civil Litigation Funding and Costs in England and Wales” were published in November 2010. It is proposed that clinical negligence cases be removed from the scope of legal aid because alternative forms of funding are available in the form of conditional fee agreements (CFAs).
	We have consulted on how the proposals should be implemented to ensure that meritorious cases are still able to be brought. The consultations closed on 14 February and we are carefully considering the responses including as to how disbursements should be funded.

Legal Aid: Rochdale

Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  if he will undertake a cost-benefit analysis of his Department's funding for legal aid in Rochdale in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  if he will assess the capacity of the voluntary sector to undertake legal aid work following implementation of his Department's proposed reductions in the legal aid budget in Rochdale.

Jonathan Djanogly: The consultation in respect of ‘Proposals for the Reform of Legal Aid in England and Wales’ closed on 14 February 2011 and the responses to the consultation are currently being considered. The Government's response to consultation is expected to be published in the spring.
	Draft impact assessments and equality impact assessments were published alongside the consultation paper, which also asked specific questions on the impacts identified therein. We are currently considering the responses to these questions and will use these to inform final impact assessments (IA) and equality impact assessments (EIA) which will be published alongside the response to consultation.
	The IA and EIA assess the impact of the proposals on the voluntary sector but do not present detail at regional or local levels.
	There are no current plans to undertake a cost-benefit analysis or an assessment of the capacity of the voluntary sector in the hon. Member's constituency.

Litigation: Legal Costs

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many meetings (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have had with (i) insurers and (ii) claimant solicitors and their representative bodies to discuss proposed changes to the civil litigation costs regime since May 2010.

Jonathan Djanogly: I met with the Association of British Insurers (ABI) on 29 July. During the consultation period for Proposals for Reform of Civil Litigation Funding and Costs in England and Wales—Implementation of Lord Justice Jackson’s Recommendations, I hosted three roundtable discussions with interested parties. The first, on 2 December 2010 aimed to include parties on all sides of the debate; claimant and defendant solicitors, insurers, after the event (ATE) insurers and other interested parties. I then held meetings with a group of claimant practitioners on 18 January 2011, and defendant practitioners, including insurers and the ABI on 19 January 2011.
	The Secretary of State and I have regular meetings with representative bodies, covering a range of issues. The Secretary of State has not held any meetings with insurers or claimant solicitors specifically to discuss the proposed changes to civil litigation funding and costs.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to answer the letter from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton of 25 January 2011 with regard to Caroline Woods.

Kenneth Clarke: I will reply to the right hon. Member shortly. I apologise for the delay.

Offenders: Berkshire

Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the reoffending rate was for offenders resident in (a) Reading West constituency, (b) Reading and (c) Berkshire in each of the last 10 years.

Crispin Blunt: Re-offending rates are not available by constituency boundaries. Re-offending rates for adult offenders by local authority are available. The following table shows these re-offending rates for the local authorities within Berkshire county, including Reading.
	
		
			 Three month re-offending rates for local authorities within Berkshire county, 2008, 2009 
			 Local authority/re-offending period(calendar year) Actual rate of reoffending (percentage) 
			 Bracknell Forest   
			 2008 8.03 
			 2009 11.18 
			   
			 Reading   
			 2008 10.51 
			 2009 10.25 
			   
			 Slough   
			 2008 9.32 
			 2009 7.97 
			   
			 West Berkshire   
			 2008 10.30 
			 2009 10.19 
			   
			 Windsor and Maidenhead   
			 2008 7.76 
			 2009 8.61 
			   
			 Wokingham   
			 2008 7.00 
			 2009 8.17 
		
	
	Comparing changes in the actual rates of re-offending between areas does not ensure a like for like comparison as the mix of offenders being dealt with may vary across areas and over time.
	Local adult re-offending rates by probation area or local authority are not available for periods prior to 1 October 2007 to 30 September 2008.
	Further details on local adult re-offending is available at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/local-adult-reoffending.htm

Offenders: Employment Schemes

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he plans to take to encourage (a) businesses and (b) local authorities to offer work placements, training and jobs to offenders (i) before and (ii) after their release.

Crispin Blunt: In ‘Breaking the Cycle: Effective Punishment, Rehabilitation and Sentencing of Offenders’, published on 7 December 2010, we set out our intention to engage business to help us make prisons places of work and industry, to help shape and deliver skills training to offenders, and to offer apprenticeships and permanent employment to offenders as part of their rehabilitation.
	There are already examples of successful partnerships with business in these areas, which take place both before and after release from prison. We plan to encourage more with the help of senior business leaders who are prepared to champion what they do. There are also many examples of public sector organisations, including local authorities, offering training and employment opportunities to offenders and we will continue to encourage them to do so.

Personal Injury

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 8 December 2010, Official Report, column 294W, on personal injury, 
	(1)  how many claims brought against his Department and its agencies were (a) settled (i) before proceedings and (ii) after proceedings, (b) lost at trial by his Department and (c) lost at trial by the claimant;
	(2)  how much his Department has paid in damages in respect of personal injury claims in each year since 2007-08.

Jonathan Djanogly: The information requested is not held centrally for all the relevant business areas for the years specified. Collating that information would involve manually sifting through all the health and safety files that have been placed in storage which would incur disproportionate cost.
	The following table does however provide totals in relation to personal injury claims against the Prison Service and MoJ staff stress related claims. Central records do not distinguish between which ones were settled before proceedings and which ones were settled after proceedings were commenced.
	
		
			  2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 
			 (1.a) Total number of personal injury claims—Settled 621 658 507 
			 (1.b) Total number of personal injury claims that the Department lost at trial 26 12 15 
			 (1.c) Total number of personal injury claims that the claimant lost at trial 14 14 22 
			     
			 (2) Total damages paid in respect of personal injury claims (£) 6,303,378 6,108,769 7,688,479

Prison Service: Market Testing

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what involvement the former Director of the National Offender Management Service has had in the market testing process currently undertaken by HM Prison Service; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: In his former role as Director General of the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), Philip Wheatley chaired the NOMS board. The NOMS board delegated responsibility for overseeing, directing and monitoring all competition within NOMS Agency to the Offender Services Competition Board (known as the Commissioning and Competitions Board from March 2010). Mr Wheatley did not deal with the receipt of tenders for the current round of prisons competitions, and has not been involved in the contract awarding process.
	Mr Wheatley left Crown employment in June 2010. Following his departure, Mr Wheatley requested permission from NOMS/Ministry of Justice to undertake work for G4S. Under the business appointment rules (see Annex A, section 4.3 of the Civil Service Management Code), particular attention was given to whether Mr Wheatley would give G4S an improper advantage in the current round of prisons competitions. His work for G4S was approved, as there was no evidence that the work he was employed to do would compromise confidentiality or give an advantage.

Prison Service: Training

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what training is provided to staff employed on the new prison officer contract;
	(2)  how many days of training is provided to staff employed on the new prison officer contract.

Crispin Blunt: All newly recruited prison officers within public sector prisons are required to complete a one year foundation training programme, leading to a level 3 National Vocational Qualification Diploma in Custodial Care (CCNVQ). Training begins with an eight week (40 working days) Prison Officer Entry Level Training (POELT) course, which is mainly college- based. This provides staff all the underpinning knowledge and understanding in core skills required to successfully complete their CCNVQ in the workplace within 12 months of joining the National Offender Management Service.

Prosecutions: Brighton

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prosecutions there were in Brighton and Hove under section 12a of the Criminal Law Act 1977 in (a) 2008, (b) 2009 and (c) 2010.

Crispin Blunt: Offences under Section 12a of the Criminal Law Act 1977 cannot be separately identified from court proceedings data collated centrally by the Ministry of Justice as they form part of a miscellaneous group of offences which cannot be separately analysed.

Reoffenders: Greater London

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the likely effect of reductions in probation service budgets on reoffending rates in Lewisham and Croydon during the payment-by-results pilots.

Crispin Blunt: The budget for probation trusts is planned to reduce by 10% over the comprehensive spending review period. The National Offender Management Service does not expect that this budget reduction will have an impact on reoffending rates. The Ministry of Justice is clear that probation trusts must deliver savings by streamlining administration and delivering services more effectively. Funding must be focused on maintaining front-line services, to protect the public and reduce reoffending.

Reoffenders: Greater London

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the likely effect of reductions in probation, police and court budgets in Lewisham and Croydon on rates of (a) arrest and (b) conviction over the next two years.

Crispin Blunt: The Ministry of Justice and the Home Office have not made a specific assessment of the impact of reductions in probation, police and court budgets in Lewisham and Croydon on rates of arrest and conviction over the next two years.
	The Ministry of Justice has been clear that a large part of the savings required by the spending review settlement will be achieved through improvements in efficiency and cutting administration, while maintaining current performance. In terms of police funding, the Government allocate funding to police authorities as a whole but it is only right that decisions about the use of resources are made locally. The Metropolitan Police Commissioner and the Police Authority are better placed to judge local need and prioritise resources accordingly.
	The Ministry of Justice will be monitoring a number of trends and impacts in Lewisham and Croydon over the next two years, as part of the evaluation of a project to test a local approach to payment-by-results. The approach will be tested from April 2011 across a number of London boroughs, including Lewisham and Croydon, and in Manchester city region, as announced in the Ministry of Justice Green Paper, “Breaking the Cycle”. The approach aims to share the savings if a local area is able to reduce demand on criminal justice services. The savings could then be reinvested in further reoffending prevention activity at the local level.

Reoffenders: Greater London

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  if he will monitor trends in the issue of fixed penalty notices during the duration of the payment-by-results pilots in Lewisham and Croydon;
	(2)  if she will assess trends in the number of cautions issued by police officers in Lewisham and Croydon during the payment-by-results pilots in those boroughs undertaken by the Ministry of Justice;
	(3)  if he will assess the potential effect of reductions in rates of benefit on re-offending and conviction rates during the payment-by-results pilots in Lewisham and Croydon;

Crispin Blunt: The Ministry of Justice announced in the Green Paper, “Breaking the Cycle”, published in December 2010 that it is developing a model to share the savings if a local area is able to reduce demand on criminal justice services. The savings could then be reinvested in further reoffending prevention activity at the local level.
	To test the local area approach, the Ministry of Justice will run two projects from April 2011 for two years in Manchester city region and across a number of London boroughs, including Croydon and Lewisham.
	The Ministry of Justice will evaluate the projects to understand the impact of the projects on demand on the criminal justice system, and other factors that may affect demand in the project areas. This will include monitoring reoffending and crime rates over the course of the two-year project. We will also monitor a wider range of trends and impacts, and this will be finalised as part of the evaluation approach for the project.

Repossession Orders: Brighton

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many interim possession orders were implemented in Brighton and Hove in (a) 2008, (b) 2009 and (c) 2010;
	(2)  on how many occasions a magistrate in a court in Brighton and Hove was asked to hear a sworn statement that a defendant was the rightful occupier of an address given in court in (a) 2008, (b) 2009 and (c) 2010.

Jonathan Djanogly: There was one interim possession order made in Brighton county court in 2008, none in 2009, and none in the first three quarters (January to September) of 2010, the latest period for which data are available.
	The civil procedure rules state that all claims for the repossession of land must be commenced in the district in which the land is situated. However, county courts jurisdictions are not coterminous with the boundaries for other geographical areas. The above figures do not therefore necessarily relate to properties located in Brighton and Hove.
	The Ministry of Justice does not hold figures centrally which specifically relate to magistrates being asked to hear a sworn statement that defendants are the rightful occupiers of the address given in court. This is because the incidence of such events is not recorded onto the main administrative system in the magistrates courts.

Repossession Orders: Suffolk

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many court orders were issued for the repossession of homes in (a) Bury St Edmunds constituency and (b) Suffolk County Council area in each year since 1997.

Jonathan Djanogly: The table shows the numbers of claims leading to orders being made for the repossession of property in the Bury St. Edmunds constituency and Suffolk county by mortgage lenders in each year since 2000 and landlords in each year since 2003. Data for previous years are not available due to the lack of valid postcodes.
	These figures represent the numbers of claims leading to orders being made. This is more accurate than the number of orders, removing the double-counting of instances where a single claim leads to more than one order. It is also a more meaningful measure of the number of homeowners who are subject to court repossession actions.
	These figures do not indicate how many properties have actually been repossessed. Repossessions can occur without a court order, such as where borrowers hand the keys back to the lender. Also, not all possession orders result in repossession. Many orders are suspended and if the borrower complies with the repayment arrangements set out in the suspended order the property will not be repossessed.
	
		
			 Number of mortgage   (1)and landlord   (2,3)possession claims leading to orders made   (4,5,6)relating to Bury St. Edmunds constituency   (7)and Suffolk county, 2000-2010   (8,9,10) 
			  Mortgage claims leading to orders made Landlord claims leading to orders made 
			  Bury St Edmunds constituency Suffolk county Bury  St Edmundsc   onstituency Suffolk county 
			 2000 40 385 — — 
			 2001 40 355 — — 
			 2002 30 295 — — 
			 2003 40 330 130 1,085 
			 2004 50 450 130 1,050 
			 2005 65 615 135 945 
			 2006 80 740 135 1,020 
			 2007 65 700 100 820 
			 2008 105 925 150 890 
			 2009 70 700 145 1,095 
			 2010 55 545 130 890 
			 (1) Includes all types of mortgage lenders. (2) Includes all types of landlords whether social or private. (3) Landlord actions include those made under both standard and accelerated procedures. Landlord actions via the accelerated procedure enables the orders to be made solely on the basis of written evidence for shorthold tenancies, when the fixed period of tenancy has come to an end. (4) The number of claims that lead to an order includes all claims in which the first order, whether outright or suspended, is made during the period. (5) The court, following a judicial hearing, may grant an order for possession immediately. This entitles the claimant to apply for a warrant to have the defendant evicted. However, even where a warrant for possession is issued, the parties can still negotiate a compromise to prevent eviction. (6) Includes outright and suspended orders, the latter being where the court grants the claimant possession but suspends the operation of the order. Provided the defendant complies with the terms of suspension, which usually require the defendant to pay the current mortgage or rent instalments plus some of the accrued arrears, the possession order cannot be enforced. (7) Due to constituency boundary changes which occurred at the recent general election on 6 May 2010, the constituency figures are based on boundaries defined prior to the election from 2000 up to and including the first quarter of 2010 (January-March) and on boundaries after the election for the remaining three quarters of 2010. (8) Due to the lack of valid postcode data, counts for landlord possession cases are only available from 2003 onwards. (9) All figures are rounded to the nearest 5. (10) Figures for 2010 are provisional. Source: Ministry of Justice

Sentencing

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he has plans to increase the maximum sentencing powers of magistrates.

Crispin Blunt: The Government are currently considering changes to sentencing policy in the light of the responses to the recent Green Paper on rehabilitation and sentencing, though the Green Paper did not propose plans to increase magistrates' sentencing powers.

Sentencing

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he has plans to bring forward proposals to enable magistrates to sentence offenders to six month consecutive sentences for more than one summary-only offence.

Crispin Blunt: The Government are currently considering changes to sentencing policy in the light of the responses to the recent Green Paper on rehabilitation and sentencing. However, we have no current plans to increase magistrates' sentencing powers.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to answer question 40185, tabled on 8 February 2011 for named day answer on 11 February 2011.

Mark Harper: holding answer 11 February 2011
	I have been asked to reply.
	The Government do not disclose their legal advice. Disclosure of legal advice has a high potential to prejudice the Government’s ability to defend their legal interests—both directly, by unfairly exposing their legal position to challenge, and indirectly by diminishing the reliance they can place on the advice having been fully considered and presented without fear or favour. Neither of these is in the public interest.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Middle East and North Africa

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department has reviewed its policy on the licensed sale of defence equipment as a result of recent unrest in the middle east and North Africa.

Mark Prisk: We have reviewed all existing licences for military and security equipment for countries in the region and a number of these licences have been revoked. The situation remains under review and all future applications for export of equipment to this region will continue to be carefully considered against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, taking into account how the situation develops.

Arms Brokers

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will assess the merits of requiring arms brokers to register under a code of conduct and of revoking the licences of those who do not comply with the code.

Mark Prisk: As things stand, I am not convinced that a register of arms brokers would justify the extra bureaucracy it would cause; however, I continue to keep this issue under review.

Arms Export Licences

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on how many occasions the Government have revoked arms export licences over the last 12 months; and for what reasons in each case.

Mark Prisk: Consolidated information on revoked licences is published in the course of regular reporting through the Government's Annual and Quarterly reports on Strategic Export Controls. These reports contain information about the number of licences revoked, by destination, and a summary of the items covered by these licences. Detailed reasons are not included, but in most cases licences will have been revoked because circumstances have changed which has led us to have concerns about the proposed export that we did not have at the time of application.
	The reports are available to view on the Strategic Export Controls: Reports and Statistics website at:
	https://www.exportcontroldb.berr.gov.uk/eng/fox
	Currently this includes information up to 30 September 2010. Information covering 1 October to 31 December 2010 will be published in April and information covering 1 January to 31 March will be published in July this year.

Arms Supply

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what mechanisms his Department has in place to ensure that arms supplied by UK manufacturers are not sold to other countries for the purpose of use for internal repression; and what recent assessment he has made of their effectiveness.

Mark Prisk: An export licence is required to export arms and other military equipment from the United Kingdom. All export licence applications are rigorously assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria taking account of all prevailing circumstances at the time of the application. A licence will not be issued where to do so would be inconsistent with the criteria or other relevant announced commitments. In particular criterion two concerns the ‘respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the country of final destination’, and states that the Government will not issue an export licence if there is a clear risk that the proposed export might be used for internal repression. If a re-export of concern comes to light we can and do factor that in to our assessment of subsequent licence applications for similar goods to that destination.

Arms Trade

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what criteria his Department applies to the licensing for export of weapons for (a) offensive and (b) defensive purposes.

Mark Prisk: The Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria.

Business: Regulation

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department's one-in, one-out policy applies to EU regulations.

Mark Prisk: At present EU measures will not be counted as INs unless a Department exceptionally imposes a measure that goes beyond the minimum requirements (i.e. if it is gold-plated, in which case the gold-plated element will be cost as an IN). Existing EU legislation can be counted as an OUT if it is repealed or revoked, or if gold-plating is removed or if a derogation that imposed costs to business is voluntarily curtailed ahead of its maximum term expiring.

Companies: Export Controls

Gordon Birtwistle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department takes to encourage companies to export manufactured products.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 9 March 2011
	The Trade and Investment for Growth White Paper, published on 9 February, set out the Government's framework for encouraging trade and investment in the UK and internationally. Linked to this, UKTI is developing a new strategy as part of the Government's growth review. This will set out new priorities for trade promotion. It is through these activities this Department encourages businesses new to exporting to discover and seize international opportunities, and more experienced exporters to improve their exporting capability.
	UKTI services are delivered through a network of international trade advisers in England, partner organisations in the devolved Administrations, sector specialists in the UK and staff in 96 overseas markets. In 2009/10, UKTI provided significant help to some 23,600 exporters generating over £5 billion of added value to the UK economy. UKTI has an ongoing and active programme of support for the UK manufacturing sector, in partnership with numerous stakeholders, including organising UK groups at overseas trade shows, leading targeted trade missions and bringing potential buyers and decision-makers to the UK to see our manufacturing capability first-hand.
	The Government are also launching four new products to support exporters that will be offered by the Export Credits Guarantee Department (ECGD) alongside its existing facilities and services. The new products are: a bond support scheme; a more simple credit insurance product; an export working capital scheme; and a foreign exchange credit support product. With the launch of these new products, ECGD is widening the range of eligible exports it will support, which was previously confined to capital and semi-capital goods and services.

Companies: Overseas Subsidiaries

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how many successful actions the Companies Investigation Branch brought against firms for failure to fully declare overseas subsidiaries under the provisions of the Companies Act 2006 in (a) 2009, (b) 2010 and (c) 2011 to date;
	(2)  how many investigations the Companies Investigation Branch conducted into firms suspected of failure to fully declare overseas subsidiaries under the provisions of the Companies Act 2006 in (a) 2009, (b) 2010 and (c) 2011 to date.

Edward Davey: The information requested is not separately recorded and as a consequence is not available.

Companies: Overseas Subsidiaries

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what steps his Department and its agencies are taking to enforce the provisions of the Companies Act 2006 in respect of declaration of overseas subsidiaries;
	(2)  what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of enforcement mechanisms for the provisions of the Companies Act 2006 on the declaration of overseas subsidiaries;
	(3)  whether his Department is taking steps to increase transparency in the declaration of overseas subsidiaries by UK businesses.

Edward Davey: Under the Companies Act 2006 companies must disclose in their accounts certain information about any subsidiary undertakings including the location of any overseas. Alternatively, where that requirement would result in excessively lengthy notes to the accounts, provide the detail in an appendix to the company’s annual return.
	Companies House has delegated authority to give notice to companies whose accounts appear to be defective. Companies House will pursue those companies that fail to comply with the notice or provide a satisfactory explanation.
	If necessary, the Financial Reporting Review Panel (FRRP)—part of the Financial Reporting Council (FRC)—has delegated authority to apply for a court order requiring the directors of the company to prepare revised accounts or a revised report. If the company continues to contravene and is found guilty, the court could impose a fine.
	Each case is dealt with on its merits and prosecution would only be used is cases of persistent and wilful failure to comply with the legislation. To date the FRRP has never had to apply to court for an order requiring revision of accounts or reports.

Construction: Public Sector

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with interested parties on publicly-available specification (PAS91); when he expects PAS91 next to be reviewed; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: Standardisation of the prequalification process features frequently in my discussions with the construction industry, particularly with those bodies representing small firms in the sector. The National Specialist Contractors' Council estimate that completing multiple prequalification questionnaires costs the industry £250 million a year, much of which could be saved. The industry is very supportive of the PAS91 approach and is working with Government to ensure the standard is widely adopted. We would expect to review the standard early next year in the light of a year's experience of its use in the public sector and more widely.

Departmental Billing

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of invoices from suppliers his Department paid within 10 days of receipt in January and February 2011.

Edward Davey: Since May 2010 and in line with other Government Departments, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has recorded and published the proportion of invoices paid within five working days of receipt. BIS publishes this information at:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/about/procurement/prompt-payment/bis-payment-performance
	However, during January and February 2011, this Department paid 98.8% and 99.7% of invoices within 10 working days of receipt respectively. In the same period, this Department paid 95% and 96.5% of invoices within five working days.

Departmental Buildings

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will take steps to reduce the size of his Department’s estate; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: The Government announced in spending review 2010 that as a first step to introducing a more co-ordinated approach to property management in the central civil office estate it would set up, through the Government Property Unit, Property Vehicles for the Central London and Bristol office estate from 2011/12.
	Property Vehicles will be responsible for managing a more co-ordinated Government-wide approach to property. They will manage the estate strategically, achieving more efficient use of the property assets, as well as work with Departments to reduce their estates and maximise the commercial potential of their property portfolios.
	Furthermore the Government announced this month a new system of National Property Controls across the central civil estate. These controls require Departments to adopt a common, disciplined commercial approach to the use of the estate. These build on the success of the Lease Moratorium introduced in May 2010, which to-date has reduced property costs by around £50 million.

Departmental Offices

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 15 February 2011, Official Report, columns 736-37W, on departmental offices, if he will provide examples of (a) hard and (b) soft intelligence.

Mark Prisk: The Department’s local offices will provide hard evidence such as analysis of external business surveys, public and official data. The soft evidence will be anecdotal information and feedback on business intentions and risks. This will be obtained through the teams’ relationships with local stakeholders.

Departmental Written Questions

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of written questions tabled to him for answer on a named day between 27 May 2010 and 9 March 2011 did not receive a substantive answer on the day named for answer.

Edward Davey: During the period 27 May 2010 to 9 March 2011, the Department received a total of 833 named day parliamentary questions.(1) Of these, 610 (73%) received a substantive reply on the date stipulated. BIS Ministers and officials attach high importance to answering named day PQs on the date specified, while noting the Government response to the then Procedure Committee's Report on Parliamentary Questions: Session 2008/09 [HC859] “The Government agrees that, where it is not possible to provide a full answer within the usual deadline, it will usually be preferable to provide the answer a few days late than to provide an incomplete answer”.
	(1 )Including a few questions transferred to BIS from other Government Departments.

Export Licences

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many strategic export licences have been granted in respect of exports to countries in the Middle East and North Africa since October 2010; and what the monetary value was of proposed exports under such licences.

Mark Prisk: This information will be published shortly as part of the Government's Annual and Quarterly reports on Strategic Export Controls. These reports contain detailed information on export licences issued, refused or revoked, by destination, including the overall value, type (e.g. Military, Other) and a summary of the items covered by these licences. They are available to view on the Strategic Export Controls: Reports and Statistics website at:
	https://www.exportcontroldb.berr.gov.uk/eng/fox
	Currently this includes information up to 30 September 2010. Information covering 1 October to 31 December 2010 will be published in April and information covering 1 January to 31 March will be published in July this year.

Higher Education: Admissions

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether universities will be required to produce a separate access agreement with the Office for Fair Access for part-time students; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: Subject to parliamentary approval, we intend to regulate fees for students studying at least 25% of a full-time course. Once the legislation and regulations are in place, institutions wishing to charge fees for part-time courses above the basic level will require an access agreement—or a variation of an existing access agreement—approved by the Director of Fair Access covering those courses.

Higher Education: Finance

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department provided funding for the 2010 survey of universities by Universities UK; and if he will make a statement. [R]

David Willetts: No funding was provided by this Department to Universities UK to undertake the survey of universities in 2010.

Higher Education: Finance

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what meetings (a) the Minister with responsibility for and (b) officials working on higher education had with representatives of the Libyan Government between 2005 and 2010.

David Willetts: The former Member of Parliament for Harlow, the then Minister of State for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education (Bill Rammell), met Dr Abd al-Salam al-Qallal, the Libyan Minister for Higher Education in Tripoli on 23 February 2006 to discuss UK-Libya education issues. He also met with Dr al-Rishi, the Libyan Minister for Expatriates, Migration and Refugee Affairs on 26 April 2007 about UK resident Libyan academics.

Higher Education: Finance

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will take steps to remove public funding for teaching and research from universities which accept donations from individuals and organisations associated with undemocratic regimes with poor records on human rights.

David Willetts: Universities are autonomous institutions and each will set its own standards for the acceptance of donations. As charities, all English universities should follow guidance on the receipt of donations from the Charity Commission and any additional guidance from the Higher Education Funding Council for England in its role as principal regulator under the Charities Act 2006.
	The allocation of public funding for teaching and research is separate from the regulation of universities as donation-accepting charities and the Department has no plans to combine these functions.

Higher Education: Part-Time Education

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he plans to regulate the number of part-time students studying degrees at each higher education institution; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 8 March 2010, Official Report, column 1000W.

Higher Education: Research

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what payments were made to each university by each research council in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: Between 2004/05 and 2008/09 the research councils provided £4,955,295,000 to higher education institutions (HEIs). A full breakdown by HEI, research council and year will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Higher Education: South East

Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of school leavers resident in (a) Reading West constituency, (b) Berkshire and (c) South East England entered university in each of the last 10 years.

David Willetts: The Department does not hold information on the proportion of school leavers resident in Reading West constituency, Berkshire and South East England who entered university in each of the last 10 years. The numbers of 18-year-old undergraduate entrants to UK higher education institutions are shown in the table as an alternative, for the academic years 2000/01 to 2009/10. Information for the 2010/11 academic year will become available from January 2012.
	Equivalent figures for entrants to higher education courses at further education colleges are not available.
	
		
			 18-year-old undergraduate entrants   (1)from Reading West constituency, the county of Berkshire   (2)and south-east England Government office region UK higher education institutions   (3)   . Academic years 2000/01 to 2009/10 
			 Academic year Reading West Berkshire South-e   ast 
			 2000/01 185 2,150 19,125 
			 2001/02 195 2,205 19,780 
			 2002/03 205 2,255 20,250 
			 2003/04 200 2,160 20,335 
			 2004/05 220 2,515 21,395 
			 2005/06 245 2,660 24,720 
			 2006/07 250 2,665 23,285 
			 2007/08 220 2,595 23,630 
			 2008/09 245 2,840 24,835 
			 2009/10 260 2,920 25,485 
			 (1) Covers entrants to full-time and part-time courses. (2) Covers Bracknell Forest, Reading, Slough, West Berkshire, Windsor and Maidenhead, and Wokingham local authorities. (3 )Excludes the Open University due to inconsistencies in their coding of entrants across the time series. Notes: 1. Figures in the table are on a HESA standard registration population basis and are rounded up or down to the nearest five. 2. Figures do not include entrants where the constituency, local authority and Government office region of the student cannot be established due to missing or invalid postcode information. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Student Record

Manufacturing Industries

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what end-user guarantees are sought to ensure that arms manufactured in the UK are not used for internal repression in other countries.

Mark Prisk: All applications will continue to be carefully assessed against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, taking into account the prevailing circumstances at the time of application and proposed end use. Furthermore, Standard Individual Export Licence Applications are supported by an end user undertaking that requires the end user to sign that the goods will be used for the purpose stated. In line with the criteria, export licences will not be issued where there is a clear risk that the export will be used for internal repression.

Manufacturing Industries

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what definition his Department uses of Advanced Manufacturing.

Mark Prisk: The UK manufacturing sector comprises a wide range of different industries, technologies and activities. Increasingly, to be a successful manufacturer in the UK, businesses must compete in high value or value added markets and use advanced processes and machinery.

New Businesses: Montgomeryshire

Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the availability of credit to new businesses in Montgomeryshire; and what steps he is taking to increase this availability.

Mark Prisk: Data on bank lending to all companies, including Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and large companies, are collected and analysed by the Bank of England. Quarterly updates are made available through the Bank of England’s “Trends in Lending” publication.
	Current data shows that in Q4 of 2010, £28.5 billion gross were lent to UK businesses (including both SMEs and large companies). More information is available at:
	http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/other/monetary/trendsinlending.htm
	The Government continue to monitor credit availability closely, and have conversations with both small business representatives and banks on this issue—through channels such as the Small Business Economic Forum.
	Recently, as a result of talks with Government, the UK’s five major banks have stated a capacity and willingness to lend £190 billion of new credit to business in 2011, including new businesses. This includes £76 billion of new lending to SMEs, which is a 15% increase on the amount lent in 2010. This is to ensure that UK businesses can access the finance they need to start and grow.
	In addition, the Government continue to offer support via the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme to viable SMEs looking for bank finance but lacking track record or collateral to secure a normal commercial loan. To date, over £1.39 billion of loans have been offered to SMEs through the Enterprise Finance Guarantee, which has been extended to 2014-15, with £700 million available this year. This includes 12 loans with a total value of £1.44 million to businesses in the Montgomeryshire constituency.

North West Regional Development Agency: Assets

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills for what reasons his Department has not permitted the North West Regional Development Agency to publish its recommendations for the future ownership of its assets.

Mark Prisk: The Department has not instructed the North West Regional Development Agency, nor any other regional development agency (RDA), not to publish their recommendations for the future ownership of their assets or liabilities. All RDAs have prepared draft plans for disposals and transfers: the plans have been developed by the RDAs, approved by their boards, and are subject to Government approval. It is for RDAs to decide when and how to release the plans as they know which aspects of the plans are commercially sensitive, we support them in being as transparent as possible while protecting commercially sensitive material.

Overseas Students: Fees and Charges

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of the fee income paid by non-UK students attending UK universities will be spent on promoting access under the proposals outlined by the Director General of the Office for Fair Access.

David Willetts: The Director of Fair Access has set out the details of his approach to monitoring and approving institutions’ access agreements. He has given examples of the proportions of income from tuition charges that he may expect to see devoted to access measures, dependent on the circumstances of each institution. The access agreements that the Director may approve do not relate to tuition charge income derived from non-home and non-EU students.

Parliamentary Scrutiny of Arms Sales

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will consider the merits of introducing in the UK a system for parliamentary prior scrutiny of arms sales.

Mark Prisk: The overall framework of the UK export licensing system is closely scrutinised by the Committees on Arms Export Controls and detailed information about export licensing decisions is published in the Government’s annual and quarterly reports on Strategic Export Controls. Given the volume of licences issued each year and the need for exporters to respond promptly to business opportunities, I do not think it would be practicable to have prior parliamentary scrutiny for arms export licensing decisions.

Research: Finance

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department has received any representations on the funding of research centres in British universities by individuals and organisations associated with undemocratic regimes in the middle east with poor records on human rights; and what assessment he has made of the effect on extremism on university campuses.

David Willetts: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has not received any representations on the funding of research centres in British universities by individuals and organisations associated with undemocratic regimes in the middle east with poor records on human rights
	Information on extremist activity on campuses where it is reported is not centrally collected by BIS. No assessment has been undertaken by BIS on any links between funding of research centres and the effect on extremism on campus.

Research: Middle East

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many research centres in British universities with links to the middle east his predecessors (a) opened and (b) visited between 2005 and 2010.

David Willetts: The Department does not systematically collect information on the links to the middle east of research centres in British universities and so does not always know whether a research centre has any such links. Consequentially it does not know how many of the research centres opened or visited by Ministers had such links.

Solar Power

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what meetings (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have had with their counterparts in the Department of Energy and Climate Change on (i) economic and (ii) employment opportunities in the solar photovoltaic sector; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills Ministers and I have not met with ministerial counterparts in the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) to discuss economic and employment opportunities in the photovoltaic sector in particular. However, Ministers and I have regular meetings with counterparts in the DECC and other Departments to discuss the move to a low carbon economy.

Students: Fees and Charges

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he plans to take to monitor the numbers of people undertaking medical degrees following the increase in the upper limit on tuition fees; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: Currently the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service produces a regular summary of the trends in applications and acceptances for full-time undergraduate courses, including medicine. The Department plans to continue to monitor this information.

Students: Finance

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what (a) levels of family income and (b) other criteria will determine whether students are eligible for bursaries or other financial assistance under the plans set out by the Director General of the Office for Fair Access.

David Willetts: It is for institutions themselves to determine the criteria they will use in making bursaries and other financial assistance available to their students. The Director of Fair Access has made clear in his guidance to institutions that he will normally expect such support to be targeted at the most disadvantaged students and that he will only take account in his assessment of access agreements of financial support directed at those entitled to state maintenance grants. In regard specifically to the new National Scholarship Programme, we have announced that only those with low family income below £25,000 a year should be considered, but institutions will decide who to help from this broad group according to their priorities for widening participation and access.

Students: Finance

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the advice given by the Office for Fair Access to universities on the provision of bursaries or other financial assistance to students from lower income families.

David Willetts: The guidance to institutions published on 8 March by the Director of Fair Access on the provision of bursaries and other financial assistance to students is consistent with that sent to the Director by Government Ministers on 10 February.

Students: Loans

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many disputes between the Student Loans Company and individuals in (a) Bedford constituency, (b) the East of England and (c) England were pending a resolution in the latest period for which figures are available.

David Willetts: Disputes raised with the Student Loans Company (SLC) are dealt with under the SLC's complaints handling procedures. The SLC does not organise complaints figures by constituency or by region, but is able to identify complaints raised by individual Members of Parliament.
	SLC records show my hon. Friend raised one complaint on behalf of his constituents in Bedford. This was dealt with in September 2010 and there are currently no cases known to be pending a resolution.
	As of Wednesday 9 March, the latest date for which figures are available, a total of 156 complaints were awaiting a response from the SLC. The SLC is not readily able to say how many of these are in relation to English domiciled students.

Supermarkets

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has assessed the effects on the independent retail sector of recent trends in the number of supermarket outlets in town and city centres.

Mark Prisk: The Department has made no such assessment. However research published by the Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD) on 8 December 2010 stated that the UK grocery market was worth £150.8 billion for the calendar year 2010, an increase of 3.1% on 2009, and that 21p in every £1 spent on food and grocery is spent in convenience stores. The IGD also found that in 2009 there were 7,970 hypermarkets, supermarkets and superstores compared with 73,539 traditional retailers and convenience stores. Of the hypermarkets, supermarkets and superstores, 104 were independents. At the end of April 2010 there were 48,410 convenience stores in the UK, representing a year-on-year decrease of 0.5% over the latest 12 month period.

Trade: Asia

Neil Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of trends in trade with (a) India and (b) China; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: The following tables show recent trends in trade for India and China.
	
		
			 India 
			 Goods 2000 (£ billion) 2010 (£ billion) Percentage change 
			 UK exports 2.1 4.1 98 
			 UK imports 1.7 5.8 250 
		
	
	
		
			 Services 2000 (£ billion) 2009 (£ billion) Percentage change 
			 UK exports 0.6 2.0 199 
			 UK imports 0.7 1.7 198 
		
	
	
		
			 China 
			 Goods 2000 (£ billion) 2010 (£ billion) Percentage change 
			 UK exports 1.5 7.6 418 
			 UK imports 4.8 30.4 530 
		
	
	
		
			 Services 2000 (£ billion) 2009 (£ billion) Percentage change 
			 UK exports 0.4 2.4 429 
			 UK imports 0.3 1.2 308

TrustMark Scheme

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans his Department has for development and support of the TrustMark scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: As the Minister for Employment Relations, Consumer and Postal Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), said in the Westminster Hall debate on 9 February 2011, Official Report, columns 103-04WH—TrustMark is an easy way for consumers to identify a builder who has agreed to abide by industry standards of competence and fair trading and to be independently inspected. The Government support the TrustMark Scheme as an effective way to raise industry standards and empower consumers to select with confidence a reputable tradesperson in the domestic repair, maintenance and improvement sector.

TrustMark Scheme

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with representatives of TrustMark since May 2010; what meetings officials in his Department have had to discuss the TrustMark scheme; and what further meetings are planned with TrustMark representatives.

Mark Prisk: No discussions have taken place between Trustmark and Ministers in the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) since May 2010. Officials in this Department have met Trustmark representatives on six occasions over this period.
	BIS officials met with the Minister for Employment Relations, Consumer and Postal Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), to discuss the TrustMark scheme on 26 January 2010.
	BIS Ministers have not met with representatives of TrustMark (2005) Ltd during this period, but an introductory meeting between the Minister for Employment Relations, Consumer and Postal Affairs and Liz Male, the new chair of TrustMark (2005) Ltd, is planned for 21 March 2011.
	Further routine meetings between TrustMark (2005) Ltd executives and officials are anticipated although no diary dates have been made.

CABINET OFFICE

Average Earnings

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent assessment he has made of the difference in the pay of high and low earners in the (a) public and (b) private sector.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated March 2011
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what recent assessment has been made of the difference in the pay between high and low earners in the (a) public and (b) private sector. (44911)
	Levels of earnings are estimated from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), and are provided for all employees on adult rates of pay whose pay for the survey period was not affected by absence. The ASHE, carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom.
	There is no single definition of high and low earners within ONS. However, for illustration, the table attached shows for 2010 the 95th and 5th percentiles for the gross weekly pay for full-time employees on adult rates of pay in the public and private sector, whose pay for the survey period was not affected by absence.
	
		
			 Gross weekly pay for full-time employee jobs   (1)in the public and private sector, 2010 
			  Gross weekly pay (£) 
			  5 percentile 95 percentile Difference 
			 Public 285 1,167 882 
			 Private 232 1,337 1,105 
			 (1) Full-time employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey period was not affected by absence. As at April 2010. Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Office for National Statistics.

Bowel Cancer

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many patients were diagnosed with bowel cancer in each of the last 10 years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated March 2011
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many patients were diagnosed with bowel cancer in each of the last 10 years.
	The latest available figures for newly diagnosed cases of bowel cancer (incidence) are for the year 2008. Please note that the number of cases may not be the same as the number of people diagnosed with cancer, because one person may be diagnosed with more than one cancer.
	Table 1 provides the number of newly diagnosed cases of bowel cancer in England, in each year from 1999 to 2008.
	The latest published figures on the incidence of bowel cancer in England can be found at:
	www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_health/mb1-39/mb1-no39-2008.pdf.
	
		
			 Table 1. Registrations of newly diagnosed cases of bowel cancer, persons, England, 1999 to 2008   (1, 2,3) 
			  Persons 
			 1999 29,051 
			 2000 28,966 
			 2001 28,246 
			 2002 28,281 
			 2003 28,564 
			 2004 29,571 
			 2005 30,175 
			 2006 30,769 
			 2007 31,273 
			 2008 31,846 
			 (1 )Bowel cancer is another name for colorectal cancer. Both are coded as C18-C20 in the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). (2 )Based on boundaries as of February 2011. (3 )Newly diagnosed cases registered in each calendar year.

Public Houses: Manpower

Philip Davies: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people were employed in the (a) public house and beer sector in each of the last three years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated March 2011
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many people were employed in the public house and beer industries in each of the last three years. (046430)
	Annual statistics on the number of employees are published by ONS in its annual employment statistics from the Business Register Employment Survey (BRES). These figures detail the number of employees and exclude the self employed. An estimate of jobs, which includes self employed, would only be available through the Labour Force Survey but, due to BRES having a superior level of accuracy of industrial classification ONS has used the latter as its source for the information provided in the following table. The latest period to which figures are available is 2009.
	Table 1 provides information showing the numbers of employees engaged in the industries ‘manufacturing of beer’ and ‘public houses and bars’ in Great Britain for 2008 and 2009.
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of employees in Great Britain for defined industries 
			 Thousand 
			  Period 
			 5-digit standard industrial classification 2008 2009 
			 11050: Manufacture of beer 14.2 15.1 
			 56302: Public houses and bars 424.9 418.6 
			 Total 439.0 433.6

Voting Rights: Prisoners

Robert Flello: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many applications for compensation his Department received in respect of prisoners claiming the right to vote in UK elections in each of the last five years; and how much has been paid in such compensation.

Mark Harper: holding answer 29 November 2010
	Data on the number of individual compensation claims received in the past five years is not compiled centrally.
	However, around 585 prisoners made a claim in the domestic courts for compensation and/or a declaration that their rights were infringed by the fact that they were denied the right to vote in the May 2010 general election. The Government successfully applied to the High Court to strike these cases out, on the basis that damages cannot be awarded in the domestic courts under the Human Rights Act for a failure to introduce compatible legislation. The judgment was published on 18 February 2011.
	In addition, UK prisoners have made claims to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. I understand that as at the beginning of February 2011, the European Court of Human Rights had received approximately 3,500 claims from UK prisoners unable to vote in elections. The Court has suspended consideration of these claims on the basis that the Government will implement the Hirst and Greens and MT judgments. The Government have sought to refer the Greens and MT judgment against the UK to the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights. If the Grand Chamber agrees to the referral, they will look again at the case and issue their own judgment. How the suspended claims are dealt with may depend on whether the Grand Chamber decides to accept the referral.